


A Field's Dream

by sparksfly51



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:42:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26531569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparksfly51/pseuds/sparksfly51
Summary: Penny finds herself wishing for more in Stardew Valley. Or at least the new farmer in town, Kate, thinks she should be, and is more than willing to help Penny. Penny is resistant, but eventually finds herself more and more drawn to the farmer.
Relationships: Haley/Maru (Stardew Valley), Penny/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Penny/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 60





	1. A Disoriented Morning

**Author's Note:**

> First one in a while, but more Penny fics are sorely needed! Please enjoy =)

Penny woke with a start, feeling slightly disoriented. She rubbed her bleary eyes, protecting them against the light of the lamp she had left on the night before. The book that had been resting discarded on her chest fell to the ground with a thunk. Her head fell back on the pillow and she turned over on her stomach stretching languidly, wishing she could stay snuggled in her bed. 

After a few more moments, Penny finally roused herself. She picked up her well used copy of The Solarian Chronicles and placed it on its spot on her bedside table alongside the other books stacked there. It was one of the titles she kept in constant rotation when she was having trouble sleeping at night. She would invariably flip the light back on, grab a time tested favorite, and lose herself in a familiar story where she was less likely to think about her drunk mother or less than ideal living situation. 

She dressed quickly, knowing she had to grab a few groceries from Pierre before she was to meet Jas and Vincent at the Library. It was mid spring by now, and Penny was thinking of splurging and buying a whole chicken to celebrate the improvement in weather. Thoughts of the many dishes Penny could enjoy swirled in her mind as she entered the kitchen. She was so looking forward to this, she was almost able to completely ignore the mess her mother had made the previous evening. 

An oven pan sat on the counter with the remains of chicken nuggets and fries. Their trash can sat with an empty 12 pack case sitting on top and overflowed with empty cans. As expected, Pam was passed out and snoring on the couch with the TV still on. Penny grabbed her bag from the living room corner, picked up a few of the empty beer cans, and disposed of them. Penny sighed at her mother who didn’t stir a muscle at the commotion Penny was making. 

She headed out the front door of the trailer, stepping into the cool spring morning. She knew she ought to hurry, but wanted to enjoy the sun before she was holed up in the Library all day. She passed by Rusty’s dog house, and gave him a few pats before making her way past the Saloon without sparing it a second glance. She tried not to hold anything against the owner Gus, but it was hard some days. 

Penny reached Pierre’s, and lingered in front, inspecting the community board. It looked like Maru was in need of some random supplies for her latest experiments again, and Willy was as always, trying to revitalize the fishing scene in Stardew. She noted the Flower Festival was still almost two months away, and vaguely made a note to see Sam soon and figure out a time to practice.

A different notice, written in handwriting that Penny didn’t recognize, accompanied these more usual postings. It read, “In need of second-hand tools, please let me know if you’re looking to sell -Kate” Penny was struck with understanding and realized this must be the new farmer that recently moved in to the old farm outside of town. She hadn’t seen or met her yet, but had heard many of what, Penny can only imagine are tall tales, about the new farmer from Vincent. Apparently she’s 9 feet tall, runs everywhere, and according to his mother Caroline, she “never sleeps”. Penny snorted at the thought, and stepped up the stoop to open the door while still absently glancing at the community board. 

At that moment, the door to Pierre’s burst open, and a figure bounded out, running straight into Penny. Penny yelped and stumbled back, nearly falling off the stoop. The looming figure, which Penny now recognized as a tall brunette woman, let out a curse and threw out an arm to catch her. There was a clattering of seed packets hitting the ground, but the woman stepped forward and helped steady Penny’s footing. 

“Are you okay? I am so sorry! I was rushing and didn’t even notice you about to come in!” The woman said these words quickly and continued to apologize profusely. For the second time this morning, Penny felt herself feeling disoriented given how quickly this had all happened. She looked up towards the woman that she now suspected to be the new farmer.

She was indeed quite tall, but certainly not a full nine feet, as she stood nearly a head taller than Penny. Her long brown hair was braided down her back, and stray hairs framed apologetic hazel eyes. She wore a plain t-shirt with muddied work pants, and heavy boots. Her brows were knit together and she seemed to be waiting for some kind of response. 

“Oh!” Penny exclaimed suddenly, working to extract herself from her outstretched steadying arms, “It’s quite alright, I can be quite clumsy myself.” She felt a blush beginning to flood her cheeks as the woman smiled brightly. 

“Let’s just say we were equally responsible and leave it at then, eh?” 

Penny chuckled nervously, “Yeah, I think that would be fine. Oh, I see I made you drop all your seeds!” Penny knelt down and began collecting the packets, happy to have an excuse to hide her face. The farmer immediately knelt down and also began helping. It looked like she had a bit of everything: parsnips, cauliflower, peppers, clover and so on. 

They both stood up and there was a beat of awkward silence as Penny handed over what she had collected. Suddenly the other woman says, “Oh! I’m sorry, I’m so rude! I’m Kate, the new farmer who recently moved in” She stuck out a hand and Penny reached hers out to shake tentatively.

“I’m Penny, I uh, help tutor the kids in town”, Penny said as she withdrew her hand.

Kate smiled brightly, “I’m sure the kids are lucky to have you.”

“I do try my best”, Penny smiled nervously and fiddled with her satchel strap a bit as Kate continued to smile at her as if waiting for her to continue. She suddenly seemed to realize she was staring, and suddenly snapped back into energetic motion. 

“Well, I ought to head back to the farm, I still have lots of work to do If I want to get these seeds planted today. It was nice to meet you Penny!” Her final goodbye was practically shouted at Penny over her shoulder as Kate was already beginning to jog away towards the old bus stop. 

Penny waved back, feeling a bit silly now standing in the square herself. This new farmer appeared like a whirlwind, and left like a whirlwind. She took a deep breath, turned, and braced herself as she walked into Pierre’s. When she finally entered, just as she suspected, Pierre and Caroline had seen the whole debacle between her and Kate. 

Caroline asked as soon as she stepped through the door, “Are you okay dear, it looks like you two had quite the crash! What do you think of our new farmer?” Carolines tone was innocent and friendly, but Penny knew when Caroline and Pierre were involved, whatever she said next would be known by just about every other Pelican Town resident before nightfall. 

“Kate seems quite nice, it looks like she’ll have a thriving farm soon. Pierre I’m sure you’re happy to have a new customer?” Penny was practiced at directing conversations away from her, and was happy to note that Pierre had launched into the specifics of his diminishing seed stock. 

“Our new farmer has already bought up almost all of my seed inventory, she comes in every day to get more! I’ve had to put in a special order with some of my suppliers” Pierre continued gushing about how quickly inventory is moving now that Kate has moved in while Penny inspected the poultry options and pretended to listen. 

Before long, Penny had what she wanted from Pierre’s and checked out as quickly as possible. The conversation between Pierre and Caroline had shifted to speculating how long they thought this new farmer would stay in Stardew Valley. 

“What do you think, Ms. Penny?” Pierre inquired as he handed her change. 

Slightly caught off guard, Penny stuttered, “Uh, well, she sounds like she has big plans right? Maybe awhile?” 

Pierre nodded sagely, seemingly relieved to hear someone else confirm they thought Kate would stick around, “For the sake of this general store, I sincerely hope so. The new Joja Mart is doing their damndest to run me out of business”. Penny muttered her sympathies, as Caroline and Pierre once again shifted gears in their conversation, and promptly left before she could get roped in once again. 

Penny began the short walk back to her house, feeling rather drained by the energy it took to navigate her chance meeting with Kate and interactions with Pierre and Caroline. She looked over her shoulder in the direction of Kate’s farm, and thought back on their conversation. Kate had seemed nice, and full of more energy than Penny would be able to muster in a week. Must be useful for working that old farm, Penny thought to herself. 

She arrived home, and put away the groceries while her mother continued to snore. Penny began to head out the door once more towards the library, but paused just before she left. She shook her head one last time, and stepped back into the sun, wishing many things were different.


	2. A Hard Day's Labor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate runs herself ragged around the farm, and insists on always finding something to do.

Kate bounded away from the town square away from Penny, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She used her farm as a convenient excuse to depart quickly; really she hadn’t been lying. She does in fact have a lot of work to get done, but she also was all too willing to stand in that square and talk to Penny. The worst part is, she could see how uncomfortable she had made her! After nearly knocking the woman over, and awkwardly introducing herself, she had also stood and stared at her with the most idiotic smile plastered on her face. She had met most everyone in Pelican Town so far, but none quite like Penny. She clearly had no longer wanted the conversation to continue, and Kate had been only happy to oblige. 

Kate continued to hurry down the well traveled path, passing the defunct bus stop. Bunnies in the bus stop clearing scattered as she passed. The old broken down bus was parked just as it had been when she arrived almost two weeks ago. She found herself wondering why it was no longer running, and hoped it wouldn’t impact her farms ability to bring in customers or ship out produce. 

She had big plans for her grandfather’s old farm. Six months ago she had decided she had had enough of her middle management corporate Joja job, and began to seriously consider moving to Stardew Valley. Almost as soon as she had made the decision, she threw herself into researching the ins and outs of how to have a farm that was simultaneously in harmony with the land, and profitable. Before spring was over, Kate hoped to have at least two fields of crop, a grazing field for livestock, and the livestock themselves. She wasn’t entirely sure if it would be possible, but Kate was determined to work day and night to make it happen. That’s why she had come to the valley in the first place right? 

\---  
A week passed and Kate worked around the clock. By now, she had cleared out a modest section of weeds, rocks and stumps and had a fairly good crop sown and well underway. She was now turning her attention to hiring Robin to construct a chicken coop, and care for the rabble of chicks she had purchased from Marnie. Kate had done a lot of reading before she arrived in the valley, but putting everything into practice was a different experience. 

She had known she would go to bed tired every night, but wasn’t expecting how sore she would be every morning when her alarm went off at 5 am. She would rise, stumble around her dark farmhouse, fumbling with the coffee, and dress. After that she would leave the house, and begin her daily ritual of watering the crops. _There has to be a better way to do this, I spend so much time and energy every day! There are a million other things I could be doing right now_ , she thought to herself ruefully. Kate added this to her endless to do list, and finished up. 

Kate would then go back in the house, pour herself a cup of coffee, and eat a small breakfast on a rickety chair she’d set up outside on her porch. Watching the sun rise and the valley wake up every morning was a comfort that made waking up so early worth it.

One morning during her morning ruminations, Kate saw her neighbor Marnie making her way down the road with a brown dog trotting behind her. Kate stood and dusted herself at an attempt to look more presentable. 

“Good morning Marnie! What’s got you out so early?”, Kate called when Marnie got closer 

Marnie chuckled, “I’m here to see if you’d care for a new addition to your farm. I found this little guy sniffing around my feed bins this morning and I thought maybe you’d like some company. He looks like he’d make a good farm dog, don’t you think?”

The dog had brown shaggy fur, with a white spot on his forehead. He was busy sniffing all around the ground and porch and didn’t notice Kate initially. Kate knelt down at the top of the stairs and put her hand out. The pup sniffled right on up the steps and cautiously licked Kate's hand and wagged his tail. His thoughtful eyes met hers, and he seemed to look at her expectantly. 

“Oh, I see how it is then,” Kate said laughing. She stood up and grabbed the plate with the remains of her breakfast, and placed it before the dog. His tail wagged more excitedly, and he immediately helped himself to the last few bites of her eggs and toast. 

“I’d say that seals the deal then, does it?” Marnie asked

“I suppose so, I don’t make it to town very often, so the company will be nice” Kate said thoughtfully “Are you sure he doesn’t have an owner” 

“I checked him for tags, and he definitely doesn’t belong to anyone in Pelican Town. He’s also pretty skinny, so he must have been on his own for a while now”. 

Kate noted the ribs that showed under his shaggy coat and pursed her lips. “I think I’ll call him Hershey. What do you think of that buddy”, she said kneeling down to pat his head while he licked the plate clean. He popped his head up excitedly and licked her hand again and began to prance around. 

“I think he’s still hungry!” Marnie chuckled. She pulled a plastic bag out of her satchel and held it out to Kate, “This is some dog food we keep for our pups, this should help get you started out” 

Kate thanked Marnie, put some of the kibble on the plate and Hershey was once again content. They chatted for a few minutes about how the chicks were doing. For now, they stayed in a small pen in the farmhouse, sheltered from the elements and predators. They all huddled together under a heat lamp, and seemed to grow every day. Kate appreciated Marnie’s expertise and knew that her knowledge of animal husbandry would save her butt many times over in the coming months. After a while Marnie said her goodbyes to Kate and Hershey, and departed. 

Kate went back in the house to grab some slices of cheese, a bowl of water for Hershey, and another cup of coffee for herself. The two of them passed the morning in quiet companionship. Kate gave Hershey a “tour” of the farm, and Hershey familiarized himself with his new home. 

The next morning, Kate woke to the sound of rain beating against the roof outside. She heaved a sigh of relief knowing she didn’t have to get up and water the plants….but then also a sigh of frustration as the rain disrupted her plans to continue clearing the land. She sat up in bed, and saw Hershey curled up on a bed of makeshift blankets sleeping comfortably. Kate suddenly became grateful she took him in, otherwise he’d be facing this downpour alone in the wilderness. 

“Little buddy” she muttered as she pet his head. He opened an eye lazily, but soon returned to his slumber, seemingly aware he was living the life of luxury right now. Kate smiled softly at him, and then rose for the day. She continued her morning routine as usual, but rather than watering crops she instead chose to spend some extra time with the chicks. They were set up in her living room, and also seemed to still be sleeping. As of right now, she had ten chicks, and all but two were snuggled together under the heat lamp. Two brave souls were pecking around under the fodder beneath their feet looking for leftover scraps. Kate was looking forward to the day she’d be able to move them to the coop Robin was building; they were beginning to stink. 

Kate sipped her coffee while she gazed out her window. She needed a game plan for the day. Robin wouldn’t be coming to work on the coop, and Kate certainly couldn’t spend any time clearing away the land. What was she to do? Fish? That sounded miserable in the rain. Forage? Also sounded miserable in the rain. Perhaps she could go visit the wizard again? She thought about her first interaction with him and the concoction she was made to drink. Kate had nothing against mind altering substances, but that potion was certainly the most potent thing she had ever imbibed. She still wasn’t sure if the whole Junimo situation was real or if it was just a product of her time with the Wizard. She thought she ought to save that for another day. 

She continued to wrack her brain until she remembered the old mine she had seen briefly when she first was exploring the valley. It probably wasn’t the safest thing she could do with her day, but at least she wouldn’t be soaked to the bone, and it was likely she could find useful materials or even valuables! Having a new task, Kate sprung into action. She donned her usual work pants and boots, as well as a black tank top. She grabbed her backpack, stuffed some water and lunch in there as well as her trusty pick axe. She left out some water and food for Hershey and the chicks and headed out. Fortunately there was a lull in the rain, and so Kate was able to make it to the mines without getting completely drenched. 

\---

Kate was suddenly exceedingly grateful for the sword Marlon had given to her before she entered the mines. The grizzled old man who spoke with her before she descended insisted she take it, should she run into trouble. Kate initially thought it was a bit of a joke, and took the sword out of courtesy. Now, however, as she fought off what seemed to be hoards of flying bugs, she knew this sword was the only thing keeping her from succumbing. Kate swatted at the insects as large as birds with an unskilled vigor, and in hindsight was amazed she hadn’t managed to hurt herself instead of the bugs. Eventually though, she was able to dispatch the last few flying wretches and stood in the dark mine chest heaving. 

“I’m definitely going to have to talk to Marlon again about this”, Kate said aloud to herself as she went to retrieve the torch she had dropped. She held it aloft and surveyed the wreckage of her adversary's corpses and grimaced at the purple ooze that eeked from their forms. Her grimace turned to a grin when she saw the light of her torch glint dully against the surface of what she suspected was copper. Hurriedly getting to work, Kate was able to scrounge up some ore, as well as a few other items that she thought might be mineral deposits of some sort. Kate wasn’t sure what they were worth, or even what they were, but anything shiny ended up in her backpack. 

After several hours of this, as well as a few more run-ins with insects, Kate decided to ascend the mine. Despite how long she had spent down there, she knew the day was still young. Kate would head to the town library to see if Gunther would be able to identify some of the things she had mined, and even take the ore to Clint so she could figure out how to get them smelted. Kate didn’t mind paying Clint for his services, but she wanted to learn how to do things herself too. 

Kate finally reached the mouth of the mine, and sighed in disappointment when she saw the downpour had begun once again. Kate took a deep breath, and dashed out of the mine, determined to get to the library as soon as she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for a chapter from Penny's POV!


	3. A Lesson at the Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny improvises a hands on lesson with Jas and Vincent, and Kate learns to slow down a bit.

Penny leaned over Vincent's math work, and pursed her lips. Vincent was a capable young man, but he had a habit of rushing through assignments, which invariably led to mistakes. She glanced at Vincent and noted the sullen look in his eye. She didn’t have the heart to tell him he had done another problem incorrectly. She decided to switch course. 

“Vincent, would you mind explaining to me how you got your answer in your own words?” Penny asked.

He sat up in his chair and looked down at the paper with his eyes squinted. The sound of the rain battering the roof of the library was the only sound as he thought. The problem was a fairly simple subtraction problem with a fraction, and Penny knew he could do it. Vincent finally says, “Well I guess I just added the 7 to the 3 and so I got the answer ten eighths”. 

“Hmm, I see” Penny said, humoring him, “Do you think this problem was done correctly?” 

Vincent huffed in frustration, but looked back at the problem. “Uh, well...I guess I didn’t do the whole number part right….” He picked up his pencil and scribbled down the correct answer, seven and three eighths, on his paper and looked up at Penny expectantly. 

“Vincent, that’s absolutely right!”, Penny exclaimed, “What do you think you can do differently next time you answer a question like this?” 

Vincent looked a bit sheepish, “I guess I need to slow down.” 

Jas took this moment to interject, “Ms. Penny, what about my work! How did I do!” Jas looked up at Penny with inquiring and hopeful eyes. Penny smiled kindly, took her fraction worksheet and began to review it with her. 

“Jas, you did quite well! You didn’t get any wrong-” Penny stopped when she noticed that Jas was sticking her tongue out at Vincent, whose face was beginning to redden in anger and embarrassment. They were beginning to fuss at one another, but were interrupted before Penny could intervene. 

The heavy wooden door of the library was flung open abruptly, its crash resounded through the quiet library. Stumbling through the front door was a thoroughly drenched figure who looked slightly off kilter. Penny raised an eyebrow when she heard a low voice mumble “Shit” as they righted themselves. Standing in the doorway was a wet, and very muddy Kate. 

Penny heard Jas whisper to Vincent, “Who is that? Did she just say a bad word?” 

Vincent whispers back, “I don’t know, is she a swamp monster?” They both turn to Penny with wide questioning eyes. 

Penny smiles at them, “No, that’s just the new farmer, Ms. Kate. Though, she does look a bit worse for wear doesn’t she? Jas, could you please go behind Mr. Gunther’s desk and see if he has any towels for her?” 

By now Penny had risen, and was beginning to approach Kate, who looked to be struggling to take off her muddy boots. The door was now closed so the rain was no longer spilling in. But Kate was leaving quite the puddle at the door. Penny couldn’t help but smile at her sorry state. 

Kate looked up to Penny and immediately launched into an apology, “I’m so sorry, I’ve made quite a mess. I guess I wasn’t thinking about what state I’d be in once I arrived. I just need to talk to Gunther really quick and then I’ll be out of your hair, I really hope I’m not interrupting!” All of this seemed to tumble out of Kate’s mouth while she continued to fuss with her wet boots. She stood rather helplessly, water dripping from her clothes and barefoot. Her dark wet hair was braided, but the inevitable fly-aways were plastered to her neck and forehead. Now that Penny was before her, she also noted the streaks of dirt and mud that decorated her bare skin. Of which there was much. Kate wore work pants, but only wore a black tank top which showcased her muscled arms and back quite well. 

Penny cleared her throat, hoping Kate hadn’t noticed the inspection, “Please, it’s alright Kate, we were just beginning to reach a point in our school day where we were going to be taking a break soon.” As Penny said this she heard Jas run up eagerly holding out a towel. 

“Ms. Kate? Ms. Penny said to get you a towel, so….here!” Jas said this quickly and then stepped back behind Penny shyly. 

Kate accepted the towel gratefully and began drying off, grimacing as she noticed the dirt that accompanied the water. “Thanks Jas, I appreciate it.” 

Vincent joined them and said boldly, “Why are you so dirty?” 

“Vincent!” Penny exclaimed, “That’s a rude question. Please apologize.” 

Vincent looked down at his feet, abashed, “Sorry Ms. Kate, it’s just I wish I could be that dirty and walk around town. My mom makes me take a bath every night! It’s the worst.” 

Kate chuckled, “Well Vincent to be honest, I wouldn’t normally be in town like this, but I was just in the mines and had some questions for Gunther. Is he around?” This last question was directed at Penny who suddenly felt quite shy herself now that Kate’s full attention was directed towards her. 

“He actually isn’t here right now….I think he left for lunch a while ago?” Penny said uncertainly. Kate’s face fell, and Penny felt uncomfortable with her disappointment. She continued, “If you want, you could wait until he comes back? He will probably be back soon, and you wouldn’t be a bother to us at all.” 

Kate smiled widely and her eyes danced with humor, “Thank you, Penny. This will give me a good chance to prove that I can exist without running into people or breaking down doors!” 

Penny felt a blush creeping up her cheeks and suddenly wished Kate would look at someone else. Fortunately Vincent saved her with his many probing questions. “Did you say you were in the mines? What was it like? What did you see? Also, why do you have a sword?” They were beginning to make their way to the circulation counter when Vincent asked this last question; Penny’s eyes widened. 

Kate winced and began stammering, “Well, uh, you see Vincent, I was just using it to...to help me cut through the dense forest!” Kate seemed rather pleased with her response, but Vincent looked unconvinced.

Vincent spoke thoughtfully, “That sword doesn’t look sharp enough to cut tree branches.” He suddenly became more excited, “Are you sure you don’t use it to fight monsters in mines? My older brother Sam told me one time he and Abigail went into the mines but there were monsters and they had to run away!” 

Kate began fidgeting uncomfortably and exchanged glances with Penny who simply stood with her eyebrow raised for the second time today, still a bit shocked that Kate actually had a sword...and from the desperate look in Kate’s eye, there actually _were_ monsters in the mines? Penny snapped back from her thoughts and scolded the boy, “Vincent, I think that’s quite enough. You know Sam likes to tell tall tales.” 

“If there are no monsters in the mine, then why does Ms. Kate have cuts all over herself?” Vincent asked, rather proud of himself. 

Penny looked at Kate in surprise, and noticed Kate did indeed have several large cuts lining her arms, and a small gash on her forehead that had previously been covered with her hair. 

“Wow, I honestly didn’t even realize I was hurt! Good eye you got there Vincent. Don’t worry, like Ms. Penny said, there are no monsters in the mine, I’m just a bit clumsy and scraped myself on some rocks.” Kate said this confidently, but Penny suspected there wasn’t much truth to this, though it did seem Vincent bought it. 

“Jas, could you please go grab the first aid kit for Ms. Kate?” Penny asked Jas, who immediately darted back behind the counter. 

Kate had begun to unload her backpack on the counter, but she paused when she heard this, “Penny, that won’t be necessary, these scrapes aren’t bad.” 

Penny shook her head, feeling surprisingly determined, “Not at all, that gash on your forehead looks serious, and they need to be cleaned at the very least.” 

Kate’s eyebrows furrowed, but eventually relented, “Alright, but at least let me get these shiny rocks set out for Gunther. I’m not really sure what they are, and I’d hoped he’d be able to give me some insight.” As Kate said this, Vincent was marveling at all the specimens, picking them up and inspecting them closely. 

“Wow! What is this one!” He held aloft a stone with a clear crystalline structure that seemed to be growing out of it. 

Penny smiled bemused at his wonder, “I’m not sure we know just yet” Suddenly, she was struck with an idea, “I could find you a book on Geology, and you could try to figure it out yourself? I’m sure there will be lots of pictures you could use to compare the two.” Vincent’s eyes widened at the suggestion and nodded vigorously as he continued to sort through the other specimens. Penny hurried off to the stacks to find a couple books that would do the trick. When she returned, Jas had come back with the first aid kit. Kate, Vincent and Jas were all three huddled around the counter hypothesizing on what each specimen could be. 

Vincent exclaimed, “I bet this one is a diamond!” pointing to the crystal he’d been holding before. 

Jas was poking at a burnished brown gem that dully reflected light, “I bet this one is a topaz! My Aunt Marnie has a necklace with a topaz in it”.

Kate was smiling over the two children, entertaining their guesses and throwing her own into the ring. When Kate noticed Penny approaching with the books, she winked and shot her a mischievous grin. Penny balked for a moment, but started to wonder what she’d gotten herself into with this new farmer. 

\---

Kate regretted winking before she had even done it, but it was too late. The wink had already happened, and Kate was ready to delve back into the mine, never to return. Kate almost immediately averted her gaze away from Penny, but not before she noticed Penny falter. _Ugh, what the fuck is wrong with me? _Kate wondered to herself, momentarily feigning extreme interest in a clearly normal pebble that must have accidentally made its way into her bag.__

__Kate watched surreptitiously as Penny placed the books on the counter next to the children and began to calmly explain to them how they should go about their research. She patiently listened to their questions, smiling contentedly when they seemed to get it. “Alright, now I’ll be just over there with Ms. Kate, so just let me know if you have any questions.” Vincent and Jas nodded, and then immediately began flipping through the books, oohing and aahing at the pictures._ _

__Penny cleared her throat, “Uh, Kate if you want, I can help you over there?” Penny was gesturing towards one of the library tables and had already grabbed the first aid kit and was heading over there. All at once, Kate felt nervous following after her. Penny had such a quiet, calm way about her that seemed to be so at odds with her own mannerisms. Every time they interacted, Kate seemed to interrupt the serenity that followed Penny. Kate carefully pulled out a chair, and sat down delicately, careful not to make any extra noise in the once again quiet library._ _

__Kate looked up from her careful positioning, and saw that Penny was inspecting her with furrowed brows. Kate self-consciously rubbed the back of her neck, all too aware of the state she was in. Her clothes were still sopping wet, her hair and face were smeared with dirt, and now that she looked closely, were those blood streaks on her arm? “I’m sorry I’m so disgusting, I really should have reconsidered coming by today” Kate said, embarrassed._ _

__Penny just smiled kindly and responded, “Not at all, the kids don’t often get to experience such hands on learning. I think this has been excellent for them. Now then, do you mind if we start with your forehead? It looks like it is quite painful”. Her expression became concerned and she began to gently brush away stray strands of Kate’s hair from her forehead. Penny’s eyes flicked to meet Kate’s, “Do you mind if I clean it first? It may burn a bit, but we need to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”_ _

__Kate nodded mutely, afraid of what she may say with Penny leaning in so close. Penny gently dabbed at the dirt and grime, finishing up the cursory cleaning. After that, she doused some gauze with antiseptic, and gently applied it to Kate’s forehead. Kate winced at the burning sensation that erupted, and Penny paused, murmuring a gentle “Sorry”, and then continuing. After a few more moments the burning had subsided and Penny turned towards the first aid kit and rummaged around for a bandage. Not a minute later, Kate sat with a bandage affixed to her forehead, and Penny sat with a smile._ _

__“Alright, now let’s take a look at these arms.” Penny said, while reaching for Kate’s right arm. Kate looked down and grimaced when she saw the three gashes that splayed across her arm, as well as the two pairs of puncture marks. Kate noticed Penny’s eyebrow was raised as she inspected these wounds, “Are you sure these are just from falling over?”_ _

__Kate felt her face heating up, embarrassed to be caught in her lie. Making sure her voice was low so that Vincent couldn’t hear her, she said, “There’s definitely monsters in the mine, or at least there are some very large, and very angry bugs.”_ _

__Penny’s eyes grew wide and her ministrations ceased momentarily, “Really?”_ _

__“Yeah! This old guy with an eye patch, Marlon, handed me that sword before I went in saying I’d need it, and boy did I. I know I said they were bugs, but they were easily the size of a squirrel and had very sharp pincers.” Kate’s chest had puffed out a bit more now, getting caught up in telling the story._ _

__Penny’s brow furrowed again and she the concerned look had returned, “Will you be going back in the mines? It sounds quite dangerous.”_ _

__Kate chuckled, “It is, but depending on how much money I can make off of these gems and minerals, it may be worth the risk!” Kate noticed this comment didn’t seem to dispel Penny’s concern. Her brow remained furrowed and her mouth settled into a small frown as she began to dab the antiseptic along her arms. Penny didn’t respond to this statement, and Kate resolved to silence herself, feeling as if she had said the wrong thing. After a few moments of discomfort, Kate took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. She allowed herself to focus on Penny who was methodically cleaning and tending to her arm. Kate smiled to herself, noticing that Penny’s red hair drawn back into a low bun highlighted her pale skin which was dappled with light freckles. Her jaw was set in concentration and her green eyes were intent on their task. On instinct, Kate wanted to fill the air with words, but felt content to sit in this silence._ _

__As Penny was finishing up, Kate said softly, “Thank you” and met her gaze. Kate was surprised to see Penny’s face redden almost immediately._ _

__She cleared her throat and began packing up the supplies, “Yes, of course. Let’s get back to the children and see if they’ve made any progress”. She said this quickly and curtly, and Kate frowned once again thinking she had done something wrong._ _

__Jas’s voice rang out across the quiet library, “Guys, look! We figured them out!” She waved them over, exuberant. When they arrived she launched right in. “Okay! This one is topaz, I was right, look!” At this, she shoved the book in their noses, confirming Kate’s specimen was indeed topaz._ _

__Vincent quickly interjected, “Look! This one is called coo-arts! See all the pictures?” Vincent also pointed excitedly at his book._ _

__Penny leaned in to take a look and said with a laugh, “That’s pronounced ‘quartz’, Vincent. The ‘q’ and ‘u’ make a ‘kw’ sound.”_ _

__“Quartz!” Vincent shouted victoriously._ _

__Gunther took this moment as his opportunity to return from his lunch break. He strode into his library, took off his raincoat and proclaimed in good humor, “Did I miss an invitation to a library party?” He chuckled to himself and strode confidently over and took his usual spot behind the counter. As soon as he noticed the array of minerals and gems on his counter, he exclaimed, “My, my, what do we have here!”_ _

__“Quartz and topaz!” Vincent and Jas shouted simultaneously._ _

__Gunther chuckled and tipped his hat to Kate and said with a drawl, “By the looks of it, you had quite the morning in the mines today haven’t you Mizz Kate?” Kate laughed an ascent and invited Gunther to dig in and formally identify._ _

__The next half hour was spent with Gunther clearly in his element, educating the four of them of the items discovered. In all, Kate had unearthed some quartz, topaz, copper ore as well as something called an earth crystal and an artifact known as a dwarven drum. Gunther provided an in-depth explanation of each item, as well as the assurance that the deeper Kate went, the more impressive the findings would be._ _

__Their education concluded with Gunther saying, “Well there, Mizz Kate, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your donations to this museum. It’s lain pathetically empty for far too long.”_ _

__“Of course Gunther, you know if I find anything else, you’ll be the first person to know.” Kate said, happy to help._ _

__Jas inquired politely, “Mr. Gunther, could we help you with the display for the museum?” Jas’s question was quickly seconded by Vincent. Kate noticed Penny smiling proudly at them, and couldn’t help but note the way her eyes crinkled and her lips quirked._ _

__“Mr. Gunther, if you wouldn’t mind, I think this would be an excellent opportunity for the children to practice their writing skills, don’t you think?” Penny asked looking between Gunther and her students, “You could both pick whichever specimens you like, and write an informational piece about each one so that the rest of Pelican Town could learn as much as you have. What do you all think of that?”_ _

__Jas and Vincent nodded vehemently and promptly began squabbling and calling dibs on their preferred specimen._ _

__Kate chuckled and began packing up the excess ore, minerals and gems. Gunther disappeared momentarily in the back, and quickly returned with an envelope. He held it out to Kate, “I insist you take this as a thank you. You have certainly brightened all of our days here” Kate tried to refuse the envelope, but Gunther insisted and she eventually relented._ _

__As Kate was beginning to pack up her things and leave, Jas and Vincent noticed and exclaimed, “Ms. Kate, do you have to leave?”_ _

__“Yes, I’m afraid I have a lot to still get done today, the to-do list for a farmer never ends!” Kate said good naturedly._ _

__Jas was thoughtful for a moment and then said hopefully, “Ms. Penny, can we take a field trip to Ms. Kate’s farm? I bet we’d learn so much!”_ _

__Vincent immediately joined in, “Yeah! She could teach us about plants and stuff!”_ _

__Kate shook off the initial surprise at the arrangement and looked to Penny for her cue. Penny seemed to be glancing at Kate with the same intention and said hesitantly at Kate’s encouraging nod, “I think that would be a great idea, that is, if Ms. Kate is okay with it”_ _

__Kate knelt down to be at eye level with the kids, “I think it would be a fantastic idea. Would you guys be willing to get muddy with the plants, and help me take care of the chickens?” They both nodded vigorously and Kate nodded firmly, “That settles it then. I do need a couple more weeks to get things presentable, but I think I can have you guys come visit before the end of the season.” Kate smiled widely at Penny and said her goodbyes to the children and Gunther._ _

__Penny walked her to the door, and Kate began to struggle with the process of putting her wet boots on. “Um, Kate, do you have a first aid kit at home?” Penny asked pensively. Kate shook her head no, a bit embarrassed, as she clearly was in need of one. “Well, promise me you’ll stop by Dr. Harvey’s office before you head home today. He’s open for a couple more hours. You’ll need to keep taking care of those cuts if you don’t want to get them infected.”_ _

__Kate nodded solemnly. “I’ll be sure to do that Penny, thanks for taking care of me today. I can’t guarantee I would have done as good of a job had it been just me.” Kate noticed a blush bloom on Penny’s face once again, but instead of guilty she felt a bit...proud?_ _

__“Okay, well you take care Kate” Penny said a bit tentatively as Kate set out into the downpour once more._ _

__“I always do at the end of the day, Penny!” Kate said over her shoulder. She hurried off into Pelican Town, determined to speak with Clint and Dr. Harvey by the end of the day. As she dashed away, she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever leave a conversation with Penny without running away like a madwoman._ _


	4. A Productive Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate continues the grind, and Penny spends some time with Maru.

Kate woke the next morning feeling sore from her efforts yesterday. Not only were her muscles sore from the back breaking work of mining, but her wounds smarted. They weren’t devastating, but they hurt enough to be an annoyance. Kate dragged herself to the bathroom and released her long brown hair from its braid. She inspected her face for a moment, making faces in the mirror. She was still solidly within sleep's grasp, and the vague thought of, _I wonder what Penny thinks of my face? _passed through her mind. Kate immediately rolled her eyes at herself in the mirror and continued with her morning routine.__

__When Kate emerged from her bathroom, Hershey was prancing at the front door, eager to get out. She chuckled and let him out happily. Kate pulled her boots on while Hershey ran around the front yard, splashing in puddles and happily sniffing everything over. She noted the Robin was already here putting finishing touches on the chicken coop. Kate made her way over to Robin._ _

__“Robin, this chicken coop looks amazing.” Kate said gratefully as she approached._ _

__Robin looked down from her perch on a ladder and grinned, “At this rate, the chickens will have a nicer place to stay than you!”_ _

__Kate grimaced and looked back at the farmhouse and sized it up. The front porch was sagging, but was otherwise sound. There were a few shingles hanging off kilter, and the windows definitely needed to be replaced. It was also startlingly small. The “kitchen”, dining room and living space were all crammed into the front room, and Kate’s bedroom and bathroom were in the back. She felt like she had made it as cozy as possible, but was beginning to get tired of using a microwave and a hot plate to cook all her meals._ _

__“I think you might be right. How do you feel about building me a kitchen once you’re done with the coop? I think that should be next on the list of things that need to get done.” Kate asked Robin_ _

__Robin laughed and responded, “So long as you have the money and the lumber, I’ll lend you my services. Do you truly want me to build the kitchen? It’ll be upwards of 30K with labor included. I’ll have to make an addition, mess with the foundation a bit and….” Robin trailed off muttering to herself a to do list._ _

__Kate quickly did some mental math. She did still have quite a bit in savings that would help cover the repairs, and she really did make a pretty penny from mining yesterday. She was also confident she would be able to begin selling her crops and continuing to complete odd jobs around town. She would make it work._ _

__“Robin, I’m all in. You know where my materials pile is, so you can help yourself. I’m about to keep you employed for many weeks to come, so get ready!” Kate said with good humor. Robin laughed and promised her she would be._ _

__With that Kate, flung herself into her daily chores. She watered the crops, worked on constructing a smelter with the plans Clint gave her yesterday, and also crafted a few tree sap tappers. All the while, her mind raced with tasks she needed to accomplish. _"After I’m done here, I’ll go into town and check the community board. Maybe there’ll be some side gigs I could do for extra cash. And if I’m going into town I should probably bring my berry basket with me in case I find any salmonberry bushes, because then I can try my hand at making Jam. And then! Pierre might buy my jam and I can turn a profit with that! I should also ask Robin how much a barn costs, because if I get a barn, then I could get cows and goats, and I bet people would love to buy artisanal cheese!"_ These thoughts ran through her head all at once. _ _

__A few hours later Kate was done with crafting the smelter and tappers. She fired up the smelter and placed some copper ore in the chamber just like Clint said. She had scribbled down the instructions while she was with him yesterday, but her sooty hands were making the instructions difficult to read. Kate crossed her fingers and waited for the first batch of ore to melt down while she tapped a few of her trees. "Ugh, I need to get an orchard going too! I’ll talk to Pierre about getting discounts on some trees today", she thought to herself, and added one more thing to her mental list._ _

__When the first bar of copper emerged from the smelter, Kate leaped, whooping with joy. Hershey who had been nearby joined in with some howling, and even Robin sitting on the chicken coop roof let out a celebratory shout in Kate's favor._ _

__“Okay Robin! I’m going to head into town and run some errands, call me if you need anything for the kitchen!” Kate called over her shoulder as she strapped the berry basket to her back, and corralled Hershey to come with her. She was already too far down the road to hear Robin call out; she wouldn’t mind a snack from Gus._ _

__\--_ _

__Penny sat on the bench near the Stardrop Saloon, enjoying the warmth on her skin. She had a book on her lap, but it had largely been ignored because she wanted to soak in the weather. Today was one of her two days “off” from tutoring Jas and Vincent, and she cherished them dearly. She loved teaching the kids all manner of things, but there was no denying Penny appreciated a quiet day reading, or even writing, when she was feeling especially courageous. She sat reflecting on the events of yesterday. What had initially started as a typical day of teaching with Jas and Vincent, quickly took a turn when Kate appeared._ _

__Penny smiled to herself, realizing that Kate’s appearances so far had involved disruptions of some sort, but she found she didn’t mind that. Usually, encounters like bumping into someone or treating scrapes would leave Penny feeling mortified and vowing to never show her face again. But those feelings hadn’t reared their ugly head yet with Kate. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to wonder what Kate was up to today. "I hope she doesn’t overexert herself after the day she had yesterday", she thought to herself. Her reverie was suddenly interrupted._ _

__“Penny!”, she opened her eyes to see Maru excitedly striding towards her in denim overalls and a purple t-shirt, “I’m happy to see you out of that dusty old library!”_ _

__Penny laughed and said, “And I can say I’m happy to see you outside of that dark basement lab of yours!”_ _

__Maru flopped down on the bench next to her and immediately sunk down, getting comfortable. “All my ideas aren’t going to invent themselves you know, I gotta put in that elbow grease if I want to land any patents.”_ _

__“With the crazy ideas you have, I don’t know there will be many people who can compete with that brain of yours” Penny said, nudging Maru’s leg with her knee._ _

__Suddenly, Maru sat up, and looked Penny full in the face. Her purple glasses perched on her nose, and her mouth was quirked mischievously, “Enough about me, let’s talk about you.”_ _

__“Me? There isn’t anything to talk about…” Penny said a little uncertainty, reflexively leaning away from Maru’s intense gaze._ _

__She quirked a brow, “Oh no? That’s not what I heard from Dr. Harvey yesterday”. Maru was now full on grinning, and Penny was beginning to grow annoyed._ _

__“What on earth has he been saying?” She asked._ _

__Maru’s voice dripped with suggestion, “Oh nothing, just something about you tending to the terrible wounds of Stardew’s new farmer”, Maru smirked and crossed her arms smugly._ _

__Penny’s eyes widened and her mouth formed a surprised O. She could feel the blush creeping up her neck and her cheeks. She began to stutter, clearly flustered, “Maru, I-I don’t know exactly what you think you think happened, but I can assure you it is nothing like that.” Penny furrowed her brows and found herself getting a bit angry, “Isn’t patient confidentiality a thing? He had no right to say anything about that anyhow.” Penny said resentfully as she folded her arms._ _

__Maru’s eyes gleamed with delight, “So you’re saying you did tend to Kate’s wounds?”_ _

__Penny huffed a sigh of defeat, and slouched on the bench, “You make it sound so dramatic. She just had a cut on her forehead and some scrapes on her arms. She was also covered in mud and all sorts of muck. She was sure to get an infection if they weren’t taken care of!” Penny finishes._ _

__“Have you decided to take this farmer under your wing and take care of her, Penny?” Maru asked innocently._ _

__“What? Maru! It’s not like that at all! Ugh, please stop.” Penny said, becoming more annoyed by the moment._ _

__“Okay, okay! I’m sorry”, Maru said with a straight face, “What was it like hanging out with her? She’s almost never in town and almost no one really knows her.” Maru asked curiously._ _

__Penny sat for a moment, beginning to regain her composure. “Well, she’s got lots of energy...and also ambition. She clearly has big dreams for the farm. She’s also pretty great with the kids as well.” Penny finished, looking to Maru for her reaction._ _

__Maru grinned, “Mmmm, being good with kids is definitely a positive for you Penny.” Maru continued before Penny had to cut her off with her protests, “But like, tell me about her arms” Maru’s brows were raised suggestively._ _

__“Maru.” Penny said primly, “I genuinely don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. They were arms. Are arms.” Penny finished lamely, trying to push out of her mind that she found Kate does indeed have nice arms._ _

__“Okay, I’m really done now, I promise,” Maru said, smiling at Penny._ _

__“Thank you Maru. The last thing I need is someone else overhearing you. You know word gets around.” Penny said quietly leaning in closer to Maru._ _

__Maru sighed, “You’re right, you’re right. What was she doing at the library?”_ _

__Penny spent the next few minutes filling Maru in on the details._ _

__“She seems a bit like a whirlwind doesn’t she? I’m not surprised the kids want to go to her farm. Who knows what they’ll get themselves into.”, Maru comments_ _

__“You’re right, but she doesn’t mean any harm. I just think she’s spinning a lot of plates at once.” Penny said thoughtfully._ _

__“I think I see what you mean…” Penny turned to look over her shoulder where Maru’s attention was drawn. Coming down the path was none other than Kate. This time, she was moving at a walking pace, but she stopped every few moments to pick at salmonberry bushes, or to….pull out a hoe and till the path? Penny watched as Kate leaned over, and picked something up from a small hole she had dug. She began to closely inspect a small object Penny couldn’t quite make out. There was also a large, scruffy brown dog that trailed after her, happily sniffing and dashing about. Penny turned back to Maru, chuckling at the sight._ _

__Penny’s chuckle died in her throat however, as Maru called out, “Hey Kate! Over here!”_ _

__“What are you doing?” Penny hissed._ _

__“I’m inviting her over to talk, I’ve never actually met her.” Maru said mildly, ignoring the panic in Penny’s voice.  
Penny took a deep calming breath, wondering why she felt simultaneously opposed to and pleased by seeing Kate again so soon. She turned to greet her. _ _

__Kate approached, balancing her hoe and basket on her hip. “Hey there Penny, it’s nice to see you. And uh...well, I don’t actually know your name, but I’m Kate” she said, reaching out a hand to Maru. “This here is Hershey!” She said, gesturing to the dog who was now flopped in the grass panting._ _

__Maru smiled and shook her hand firmly, “I’m Maru, Robin’s daughter. I heard you’ve been keeping her busy!”_ _

__Kate laughed and rubbed at the bandages on her right arm, “Yeah, there’s lots of old things that need fixing up. I just asked her if she could build me a kitchen when she’s done with the chicken coop, and then maybe I’ll ask about a barn next? I’m not sure, there are so many things to do, it’s hard to focus on one.”_ _

__Maru chuckled as they talked, and Penny wished she was more like Maru. She never had any trouble carrying on a conversation, while Penny so often felt awkward. By now, Kate had taken a seat on the grass in front of the bench and was leaning back, deep in conversation with Maru about lightning rods and their ability to capture and store energy. Kate was nodding along intently with her and absently stroking Hershey’s head who was laying with lidded eyes. Penny noted this was the most still she’d seen Kate. She did still look a bit worse for wear...the bandages on her arms looked like they could stand to be changed, and she had streaks of what looked like coal on her chin. Penny was surprised at herself after she noticed how angular her face was. Her high cheekbones complimented a straight nose and arched brows. Her long brown hair was once again braided and trailed behind her back. She didn’t want to stare, but she did feel drawn to her in some way. _I guess it’s just been so long since I’ve seen anyone from out of town _, Penny thought to herself._ _ __

__

__Penny was shaken from her reverie when Kate sat up straight and exclaimed, “Wait, what? Say that again!”_ _

__

__Maru laughed, “I was saying I’d been experimenting with some different irrigation techniques with my dad, have you ever heard of drip lines?”_ _

__

__“No, but please tell me all about them.” Kate said solemnly. Penny held back a grin at this._ _

__

__“Well, drip lines are just tubing that pumps water directly to the ground. They can be set up to run autonomously, and they are better than sprinklers because half the water doesn’t evaporate from the body of the plant before it gets to the roots”. Maru explained matter of factly._ _

__

__Kate leaned forward and her brow furrowed, she was clearly deep in thought. “How difficult do you think it would be to get these drip lines set up?” Kate asked._ _

__

__“We’d need to order the tubing which will take a couple days to arrive, but the installation shouldn’t be too difficult. Depending on how much land you’re trying to irrigate, it shouldn’t take more than a couple days.” Maru said confidently._ _

__

__Penny watched as Kate’s face broke out into an ear splitting grin, “Maru, you have just saved me literal hours upon hours of labor.”_ _

__

__Maru grinned, “Come by my house later when you get a chance and we can talk about specifics.” Their conversation continued and Penny enjoyed the animated way Kate spoke about her farm. She was clearly passionate. Their discussion was disrupted by a distinct gurgling noise coming from Kate’s stomach._ _

__

__She looked down in surprise and smiled in embarrassment, “Guess it’s been awhile since breakfast, huh?”_ _

__

__Penny spoke up, “Were you planning on having those salmonberries for lunch?” She asked, nodding toward Kate’s basket._ _

__

__Kate exclaimed, “Oh no! I’m harvesting salmonberries for preserves. I want to see if I can sell them to Pierre and keep up the cash flow. I gotta build that barn somehow!” Seeing the concerned look on Penny’s face, she continued, albeit in a more assuring, “No need to worry Penny, I’m sure I’ll find something out foraging.”_ _

__

__Penny pursed her lips, not entirely convinced given her track record. She reached into her bag, and fished out one of the granola bars she always keeps on her, just in case. She handed it to Kate, “Please eat this. The last thing we need is you passing out in the woods because you haven’t eaten”._ _

__

__Kate took the bar, and nodded at Penny sheepishly. “Thank you, Penny. You sure are good at taking care of me.” Penny felt put on the spot and ducked her head hoping that neither Maru or Kate noticed the heat rising in her cheeks. She suspected Maru wouldn’t let her hear the end of it. Kate was busy unwrapping the bar and beginning to eat it while gathering all her things._ _

__

__Kate leapt up, a renewed vigor in her being, “Well, this has been the best conversation I’ve had all week.” She looked to Maru, “ I’ll try to finish up my foraging and make my way up to your house later!” Kate paused now and turned towards Penny with a self-satisfied smile, “All this means you and the kids will be able to see the old farm sooner!” Before Penny had a chance to respond, Kate gathered her things, and bounded towards Cindersnap Forest, whistling for Hershey to follow, eager to continue foraging._ _

__

__There was a beat of silence between the two women sitting on the bench until Maru said, “I definitely see what you meant about spinning a lot of plates.” Both broke out into laughter, and much to her relief, Maru ceased poking fun at their relationship. While their visit continued, Penny found herself wondering if Kate ever paused for a break. She couldn’t help but hope that one day she would learn to slow down._ _

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll start to see the relationship kick off a bit more! Stay tuned, the next chapter will be up in a few days! (TBH, probably by the end of the day because I'm looking forward to this next one)


	5. A Full Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Kate spends the day at the beach, she finds herself in an uncomfortable situation.

The next couple of days for Kate go by quickly. Shortly after her conversation with Maru, she had placed an order for industrial grade materials to assemble the irrigation system. She spent the next few days tidying up her fields and prepping the area so it was simple to assemble everything once the materials arrived. She was disappointed to learn that delivery of the material would be delayed because Stardew Valley was outside of their usual route. She resigned herself to the longer wait, and continued hustling to make cash on the side. 

She spent a whole day canning and preserving anything and everything she could forage. She spent another day in the mines, determined to get deeper. Fortunately, she was able to find a much more reliable sword in the depths of the mine, and could now handle the large insects and swarming slimes much more handily. On the third day of waiting, things felt like they slowed to a crawl, and so Kate tried her hand at fishing, mostly unsuccessfully. 

She traveled to the beach to get pointers from Willy, and attempted to fish for a bit, but she found herself getting fidgety and had trouble staying still. It wasn’t long before Kate noticed the old bridge falling apart that led to another part of the beach. Kate set out to repair this bridge, and several hours later she stood proudly before the new walkway. It certainly was not perfect, but it was enough to hold a couple people’s weight. 

Kate’s hammering drew the attention of a townsperson she had somehow never met. A tall, red haired woman in green approached shortly after she arrived on the beach. She was barefoot at the moment and had appeared to have collected some driftwood. She called out to Kate in a friendly tone, “You must be the new farmer! You picked just the right time to move here, Spring has been lovely so far”. She said this last bit with her eyes closed and inhaling deeply. She opened her eyes and smiled at Kate who felt caught off-guard. _What the hell is it with all the redheads here?_ she thought to herself ruefully. 

Kate stood and introduced herself, happy to make new friends when the opportunity presented itself. The woman introduced herself as Leah and said she was an artist, “I come to the beach and look for pieces of interesting looking driftwood for my sculptures. Sometimes I also paint the ocean, but I do prefer a woodland scene myself.”

Kate chuckled, “After an afternoon of wading in the surf and dealing with this sand, I think I’ll be sticking with forests myself for awhile”. 

Leah’s eyes widened, “I live in Cindersnap Forest in that little cabin by the river. You’ll have to come by one day, and help me with my paintings. I think you’d make an excellent model…” Leah was now giving Kate a rather pointed once over, inspecting her. 

Kate laughed weakly, “I don’t know about that, I don’t clean up too well.”

Leah smiled, “I think I could help you out with that.” Kate swallowed hard. Leah took this opportunity to say her goodbyes, “I’ll be sure to come back soon and enjoy this whole other side of the beach! Who knows what treasures could be over there?” She winked and sauntered away. Kate raised her eyebrows at her retreating back, and quickly returned to the task at hand. 

She wasn’t a complete idiot. She knew that her arrival in Stardew Valley had invigorated a starving rumor mill. It felt like almost everyone she spoke to had some sort of ulterior motive in getting to know her. Pierre salivates over her money every time she goes to his store. Marnie and Robin were good people, but also clearly all too happy to accept her money. Demetrius seemed intent on using her farm in his research too. Leah seemed nice, but even she appeared to want something from Kate. She felt flattered by the flirtation; Leah was certainly attractive. But she wasn’t sure now was the time to get tangled up in a romance. Especially in a small town. Kate nodded to herself, satisfied with her work and her resolution. 

She waded out of the surf and sat on the beach for a time, drying off a bit. After a while, she set out to explore the other side of the beach, and spent some time collecting the rare and valuable shells to sell, but also taking time to appreciate the ecosystem of the tidal pools. _I’ll have to tell Penny about these, the kids are sure to love them,_ Kate thought to herself. She imagined Vincent would be all too eager to jump in the pools, and Jas would spend time chastising him for disturbing their home. She chuckled to herself, and began preparing to head back into town. It was turning into late afternoon, and she was feeling rather hungry. 

Since she was already near town and she didn’t really feel like cooking, she resolved to head to the Stardrop Saloon and have one of Gus’s pizza’s everyone raved about. She trudged along the beach, already looking forward to her shower that evening. She soon found herself on the outskirts of Pelican Town. On her way to the saloon, she caught sight of Penny sitting beneath a large oak tree nearby. She looked to be reading, but Kate suspected she wouldn’t mind the interruption if it involved a suggestion for a fun activity for the kids. 

\---

Penny was engrossed in a historical fiction espionage novel when Kate called her name. She jumped, startled at her sudden apparition. She let out a relieved sigh when she saw it was just Kate, and sheepishly closed the book, feeling embarrassed to have been caught reading so intently. Kate came nearer with a smile and a back full of fishing poles. She was barefoot, sun kissed, and looked like she had spent some time in the sea. 

She giggled, “You look like you’ve had quite the day.”

Kate looked down at herself, apparently realizing how ridiculous she looked, and unabashedly said, “Yeah, I got a little carried away at the beach today.” 

“Oh?” Penny asked, “Did a fish pull you off the docks or something?” She said with good humor. 

“No actually! I had no luck whatsoever with fishing. I decided to rebuild that bridge to the other side of the beach, and had to play in the surf a bit.” 

Penny shook her head with a smile, “That doesn’t surprise me one bit.” She looked up at Kate and saw her shifting her weight from one foot from the other. She looked a bit nervous. Penny felt her stomach clench, feeling like she must have said something offensive. 

She quickly tried to apologize, “Kate, I’m sorry-”

“I was actually thinking-”, Kate said simultaneously

They both laughed nervously at the mistake. “You go first”, Penny said softly. 

“Well, I had a long day at the beach and am feeling pretty hungry. I thought I’d grab some dinner at the Saloon”, she nodded towards the building just across the street, “I was thinking of getting a pizza, do you wanna join me and we can share?” 

Penny’s stomach dropped at the suggestion and her face flushed red. She glanced around, trying to think of an excuse, “Um-actually-Kate, I don’t think I can tonight, I have lots of work to get done tonight to teach the kids tomorrow.” With that, she stood up and began packing her things. Penny tried her damndest to not make eye contact with Kate, but she could see her crestfallen and confused face. 

“Oh, Okay, well maybe another time then...Uh, I guess I’ll see you around?” Kate said, disappointment clear in her voice. 

Penny was beginning to hurry away and called over her shoulder, “Yeah, or course!” 

She reached her trailer, stepped in, leaned against the door and felt like a coward. “What must she even think of me now.” Penny murmured to herself. She rubbed her eyes in frustration, and took stock of the trailer. It was as it had been this morning. Messy. Sink full of old food and dishes. Television on. Empty cans scattered on the living room floor. Her mother was nowhere to be seen. Penny bit her lip and felt tears well up in her eyes, “Probably drinking in the saloon right this second”, she said bitterly. She pushed off the door, and stepped into the darkened trailer. 

\---

Kate sat glumly at the bar, staring at the beer she had ordered. This wasn’t the first time she’d been in the saloon, but it was certainly the first time she’d been here and felt so shitty. She pursed her lips and looked at the few other occupants of the saloon. There was an older woman with a perm at the far end of the bar having an apparently one sided, animated conversation with Gus’s bar back, Emily. And a scruffy withdrawn looking man hunched over a beer in the corner. Kate frowned, wishing she didn’t feel like she fit in so well with these bar flies right now. 

Emily eventually approached Kate with a smile, “Can I get you anything to eat tonight, Kate?” 

Kate shook herself out of her stupor, and returned the smile, “Yeah, can I get a pepperoni pizza?”

“Sure thing! Gus will have that right out for you.” 

It looked like she was about to say more, but was drawn away from Kate with a call from the woman at the other end of the bar, “Emily! Pour me another round!”

With her back still to the woman, Emily rolled her eyes at Kate, who stifled a grin, “A cold one, coming up just for you, Pam!” 

Kate leaned back in her stool and stretched contemplating her strange interaction with Penny. Everything had seemed fine. Sure she had interrupted her reading, but she didn’t get all weird until she invited her to the saloon for dinner. _Did she think I was trying to make it a date or something?_ Kate wondered to herself. _I just thought it would be nice to get to know her a little better. Ugh! Now it’s going to be weird. She probably thinks I was hitting on her, and I mean yeah she’s totally adorable with her hair and her blushes and stuff. But just like I suspected! There’s clearly no way she’d be into me_ Kate’s inner monologue spun in the mud like this for the next few minutes, wishing she had refrained from asking Penny to dinner. 

After a while, Gus himself came out from the kitchen with a large pepperoni pizza in tow. He placed it on the bar with a flourish, and grinned proudly at Kate behind his mustache. “This will be the best pizza you have ever eaten in your life, I assure you.” Gus said confidently. 

Kate broke into a smile, “Given how hungry I am right now, I know that to be true!” 

Gus studied her for a moment as she attempted to slide a couple slices on to a plate. She noticed his gaze and smiled at him, trying to figure out why he was lingering. 

“I noticed you looking rather upset earlier. Is there trouble on the farm?” Gus leaned against the bar, his open face an invitation. 

Kate hesitated, “No, nothing like that….I guess I’m still getting used to the people here in the valley is all.” 

Gus snorted, “Did George give you a hard time for looking at him the wrong way? He’s a good man, but crotchety as all get out.”

Kae shrugged, “No, actually. I think I upset Penny somehow.”

Gus furrowed his eyebrows and frowned, “Interesting, Penny’s a bit shy, but she’s otherwise easy going…” he mused. 

“That’s what I thought too. I just invited her to share some of this pizza here.” Kate gestured to the pizza, continuing ruefully, “Let’s just say, it’s been awhile since I’ve been so soundly rejected.” 

Gus’s eyebrows shot up, “You invited her to the saloon?”, he asked almost incredulously. 

“Yeah…?” Kate said confused, watching Gus look over his shoulder. 

Gus turned around, leaned in and lowered his voice, “You see that woman at the bar?” Kate’s eyes flicked past his shoulder and saw her once again talking Emily’s ear off, taking healthy swigs from her mug. Kate nodded. “That’s Pam...she’s Penny’s mother.” Kate’s mouth formed an O as she was beginning to understand. “Pam has...a bit of a drinking problem, and Penny, understandably, doesn’t approve. I don’t think I’ve seen Penny in my saloon since her mother became a more...regular patron. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with you personally”, Gus finished. 

Kate leaned back thoughtfully, and murmured her thanks to Gus.

He nodded back and rapped on the bar a few times before walking away. She watched as he struck up a conversation with Pam, freeing Emily. 

Kate dug into her pizza, reflecting on this new information. She began to understand all too well. No wonder Penny looked absolutely mortified at the thought of going into the saloon. She would have to face her intoxicated mom, and listen to her carry on. Who knows what Pam would say or do if she saw Penny enter the Saloon. _I imagine it wouldn’t be subtle..._ Kate thought to herself bitterly. She felt a pang of guilt for putting Penny in that situation, and wondered if she should go apologize. _That would probably just make her feel even more uncomfortable,_ she thought, frustrated. Kate wished she could do something to fix the situation, but she was coming up empty. 

Kate boxed up the rest of her pizza and noted the still mostly full mug of beer in front of her. Usually Kate was all too happy to finish a drink, especially when it's already been paid for. But Kate felt slightly repulsed by it now. She looked across the bar at Pam who was now talking uproariously with Mayor Lewis and grimaced. Kate gathered her to go box, and began to make her way back to the farm, leaving behind the still full mug of beer on the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave any feedback you have! I felt like this chapter and the previous one were a bit difficult to write. I am excited for the next, as we'll get lots more interaction between the two of them!


	6. A Steady River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny and Kate both try to make amends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dogs are the best wingmen. Just saying.

Penny woke the next morning and immediately buried her head under her pillow. She had spent most of yesterday evening cleaning every inch of the trailer. Sometimes it felt like it was the only thing she could control. Yes, her mother would come home drunk and obnoxious, but at least Penny could take what little pride she could in her house for a short period of time. She felt herself flushing in embarrassment again when she remembered Kate’s face as she ran away the night before. "She probably thinks I’m a huge bitch.” Penny muttered to herself bitterly, turning over and staring at the ceiling. She watched the beige fan circling above her head blankly. 

Pam had come home around ten last night, and Penny had long since finished cleaning. She was sitting on her bed, absently staring at a book, pretending to read while listening carefully for her mother's movements. Usually there were only a few minutes of stumbling before she collapsed on the couch with the television turned up. Tonight, however, Pam seemed hell bent on cooking whatever frozen dinner she could get her hands on. Penny heard the clattering of oven pans hitting the ground and a loud, “Fuck!” from her mother, before she decided to get out of her bed and try to help. 

“Mom...Can I help you with anything…?” Penny said quietly from her door way which adjoined the kitchen area. She hoped that if she kept her voice level and quiet, it would help keep Pam from escalating. 

Pam squinted at Penny, wavering in her stance. “This fucking oven door is a piece of garbage. It always gets stuck and then I drop the god damn shit on my foot!” she said in a frustrated tone. 

Penny ignored the profanity and took a deep breath, “Do you want me to help you?” She glanced at the frozen pizza that was sitting at the counter. 

She stepped forward to begin unpackaging the food, but was cut off by Pam, “Don’t you worry about me, I can take care of it!” she said with a frown. She was now reaching for the pizza herself and began tearing into the cardboard and plastic, getting crumbs all over the counter and floor. 

Penny took a second deep breath, “Okay, Mom. I’m going to go to bed. Please drink a glass of water tonight, and don’t forget to turn off the oven. 

Pam paused her awkward pizza unboxing and swayed slightly as she stood and squinted at Penny. “Penny, how old am I? Do you think I don’t know how to turn off the goddamn oven?”, her voice rose in agitation at this last question. 

“No, Mom! I just want to make sure you’re safe is all!”, Penny threw her hands up in a sign of appeasement, hoping she would drop it. 

Pam just turned her back and grunted at Penny as a good night. Penny let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, turned on her heel, and returned to her room. 

Laying in the bed now, Penny replayed all of this, feeling her chest tighten. She chewed on her lip anxiously, thinking about everything she needed to accomplish today, but she felt frozen and weighed down. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will her body work as it should. It took her snoozed alarm going off again to snap her out of it. The tightness in her chest remained, but she heaved herself out of bed. 

Penny emerged from her room, surveying the wreckage of the kitchen. Her mother did have the wherewithal to turn the oven off, but she managed to leave a mess all the same. The crumbs from the pizza last night remained strewn around the counter and floor. Dirty dishes were left piled on the stove top, and the trashcan was once again overflowing with empty beer cans. Penny peeked into the living room and saw Pam, still dressed, splayed out on the couch snoring loudly. Penny snorted, unsurprised by what she saw. 

She was all too aware of how much of her teaching salary was spent on beer. She began chewing on her lip again. She did some mental math on how to keep food on the table until she would get paid again. _I suppose I should make a soup to last me this week so mom won’t overdraft the account again buying beer from Joja Mart._ She gathered her things for the day, headed to the library, resolving to clean up and cook later. 

Her week progressed much the same as it always has, an unbreaking cycle of hope that her mother would return home sober, and disappointment when she did not. She had the added stress and anguish of simultaneously wanting to see Kate to offer an apology for her abrupt refusal, while desperately wishing to avoid her at all costs out of embarrassment. There were several times that Penny spotted Kate in the distance, hustling to some unknown destination. She would quickly duck behind a tree or building to avoid running into her. Her face reddened in those moments; she wished she were less of a coward. 

The weather turned south on Wednesday, and the valley was under a deluge. Penny taught Jas and Vincent dutifully, but in moments when the children were working quietly, her mind wandered. When she had awoken that morning to the sound of rain pitter pattering on the trailer ceiling, there had been a bloom of excitement in her belly. Penny hoped Kate would have to make a stop at the library after a lucky trip to the mines, without injury of course. But as the school day progressed, her hopes that Kate would make an appearance diminished. She attributed it to Kate intentionally, and rightly, in her mind, avoiding her. 

By the time Saturday rolled around, Penny felt utterly exhausted from the week. Although nothing extraordinary had happened, she felt emotionally drained. Avoiding Kate had come at a cost. Penny had to forego her usual afternoon reads under the large oak tree. She hadn’t realized how much those moments of solitude centered and prepared her for whatever nonsense her mother would inevitably get up to that evening. All the time Penny spent in the trailer had her feeling on edge and claustrophobic. She resolved to be brave that Saturday afternoon. She spent the morning cleaning the trailer and preparing for the next week of lessons. Eventually, birdsong and sun drew her out of the now oppressive abode. 

When Penny emerged she cast her eyes about nervously, looking for any Pelican Town residents who may be out and about. Seeing no one in particular she headed to her preferred spot under the massive oak, and settled herself. Sitting beneath its leafy eaves had an almost immediate effect on Penny. She leaned her head back against the trunk and took a deep breath. For the first time in what felt like the whole week, she felt her chest loosen. She opened her book and settled her eyes on the page. She was a bit distractible at first, glancing up at almost every sound or sometimes even just staring into the river that wasn’t far away. Eventually, though, she was sucked into her novel as she always was, and felt as if she were transported elsewhere. 

\---

Kate started down the path towards Pelican Town with Hershey in tow. It was approaching late afternoon, and her stomach was growling. She had spent much of the day tending to the now flourishing rows of crops and livestock. She and Maru had been able to install most of the drip lines, which made Kate’s daily routine far more streamlined. Each morning she still walked the rows to inspect the crops for damage or pests, but what used to take several hours now was a mere fraction of that. She had turned her attention towards clearing a larger pasture space that she wanted to eventually move her new dairy cows on. For the time being, she kept them roped into a small paddock, but she hoped to give them a space to stretch their legs by the end of the summer season. 

Knowing what she had planned for the afternoon, Kate was certain to change out of her usual grubby farmer overalls and tank top. She left the farm with a clean, casual pair of jeans and a patterned shirt that hopefully signaled she wasn’t working. Of course, she still brought her foraging basket just in case she stumbled upon anything interesting. She may be taking an afternoon off, but she couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on a good find if she stumbled across it. 

“Okay Hershey, I’m relying on you to keep this from getting awkward”, Kate said to Hershey as they passed the old bus stop. He looked at her with an ear quirked and seemed to be questioning her plan. “Look, I know, I’m the one who made it weird with Penny in the first place. But you’re a dog and she thinks you’re cute. I need you to like, try to get pets from her and stuff when I’m talking to her so she is maybe distracted from how nervous I am.” Kate said all of this quickly and then looked down at Hershey again. He trotted along next to her and sneezed after sniffing a flower. “I’m going to take that as you understanding exactly what I said”, Kate chuckled at how ridiculous she was being right now, but it was a good distraction for herself. 

She had been able to distract herself much of the week with the minutiae of running a farm, but she found her usual productive inner monologue interjected with feelings of guilt for the position she had put Penny in days ago. Kate hadn’t seen Penny around town at all which worried her. She thought Penny was trying to avoid her. That idea caused her heart to sink when she first thought it a possibility. She could have gone to the library any time to talk to her, but she wanted to give Penny space if that was what she needed. Kate woke up this morning however, ready to resolve this whole misunderstanding. 

Kate rounded the corner into Pelican town and cast her eyes around. After a few moments of searching, she saw a familiar red haired woman with her nose in a book sitting beneath the boughs of the large oak. As she approached, Kate smiled to herself at the way Penny’s brows furrowed in concentration and how her eyes flew across the page. She chewed on her bottom lip and seemed wholly enthralled with whatever she was reading. She wore a customary bright yellow t-shirt, but had exchanged the usual skirt for a pair of denim shorts. Her hair, which was usually bound in a bun, was instead tied back with a green ribbon. This allowed for her hair to fall down her back, unrestrained. Kate was a bit surprised to see Penny’s hair was almost as long as her own. 

“Okay Hershey, do your thing!” Kate whispered to her dog when they neared her. Hershey wagged his tail in response and bounded towards Penny. Kate stifled a snort when Hershey nearly barreled into Penny who was still sitting, unawares of the ambush. Kate didn’t intend for Hershey to be as exuberant as was, but she couldn’t help but find Penny’s yelp at the dog’s sudden appearance to be endearing. 

Hershey began licking Penny, who by now had dropped the book in her lap and was chuckling as she attempted to ward off the shaggy brown dog, “Hershey, I get it! Yes, yes, I see you!” 

“Hershey! Come here buddy!” Kate called as she bent down to beckon him over. Hershey stopped harassing Penny and cocked his head at her as if to say, “Isn’t this what you wanted me to do?”. The pause in the assault gave Penny enough time to disentangle herself from Hershey’s paws. When she finally met eyes with Kate, she saw a blush begin to bloom on Penny’s face and her green eyes seemed to dart around as if to look for an escape. 

Kate stood up and launched into her prepared spiel before Penny had a chance to say anything, “Hey Penny! I just wanted to say sorry for last week, I shouldn’t have invited you somewhere last second and put all that pressure on you.” Penny looked down to the book in her lap, and her hand reached up to pet Hershey’s scruffy head as if to look for a distraction. Kate pushed on, undaunted. “So, anyways, I wanted to give you a little more warning for my next invitation. How would you feel about tomorrow night grabbing one of Gus’s pizzas to go? We can find a nice spot outside and share it? I think the weather’s supposed to be real nice tomorrow too.” Kate looked to Penny hopefully. 

By now, Penny’s blush had faded a bit, and her eyes met Kate’s, “You mean like a picnic?” she asked softly.

“Yeah! Like a picnic. I don’t really know where all the best spots are yet, but maybe you could show me?” 

Penny chuckled, “I can think of a couple places that are really nice....” she trailed off and bit her lip before continuing slowly. “Actually, I...Uh, I wouldn’t mind doing that today...if you’re available, that is! I know you’re really busy, so if it has to be tomorrow then I understand, I just thought since...we’re both here now….” Penny ended quickly and then shifted her gaze away back down to the book in her lap. 

“That sounds wonderful!” Kate beamed. _Just as I hoped!_ Kate thought triumphantly to herself. Kate continued aloud, “I can run into the saloon and put in the order, if you just want to wait here?” 

By now Penny had begun to stand and dusted herself off, “I was thinking I could run back to my house and get us a blanket or something to sit on? I can bring Hershey with me too if you’d like.”

They began to walk towards the saloon together. Before they parted Kate asked, “Do you have a favorite topping?” 

Penny blinked in surprise but pursed her lips after a moment, “Would half mushroom and spinach be okay?” 

“Coming right up!”, Kate winked and stepped into the Stardrop Saloon, leaving a once again blushing Penny standing in the path with Hershey nuzzling her legs, tail still wagging. 

\--- 

Penny opened the door to her trailer and let Hershey in. He bounded inside and immediately began sniffing everything he could. He soon found crumbs from her mother’s dinner last night and helped himself. Penny chuckled, “By all means, Hershey, eat up! It will at least make my job easier tonight.” 

She went into her bedroom and stuffed a spare blanket into her satchel. She returned to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of Joja Cola’s her mom kept in the refrigerator. _I think I’ve earned myself a couple of these._ Penny thought to herself primly. She cast her eyes around, wondering if she should grab anything else. She settled on a few paper towels in case there was a mess and bug spray. She called Hershey out of the living room and began to make her way back towards the saloon, satchel slung over her shoulder. She stopped outside of Dusty’s dog house, and watched as the two pups became acquainted. Penny was grateful for the distraction, as she thought she must look foolish loitering outside of the saloon. 

She looked towards the saloon and wondered what she had gotten herself into. She had initially been mortified to see Kate standing before her with Hershey clambering all over her. But the mortification quickly passed and was instead soon charmed by Kate’s immediate apology and invitation. Before she knew what she was doing, she had already suggested enjoying a picnic today. Kate’s bright smile and acceptance had brought a tightness to her chest, although it didn’t feel miserable like the previous tightness Penny had contended with. After a few minutes, Kate emerged from the saloon, large pizza boxed, and held aloft like a waiter. Penny smiled at the sight and encouraged Hershey to follow. 

“Where to?” Kate inquired brightly.

“I was thinking of a place I know by the river…” Penny said, leading Kate north towards the old community center. Kate nodded an assent and followed her patiently. 

Penny clutched the strap to her satchel nervously. She snuck a surreptitious look at Kate who walked with a serene smile. Her brown hair was once again plaited down her back, and Penny couldn’t help but wonder if she ever wore it loose. Penny averted her gaze, flustered at the thought. They had never actually spent any time together, just the two of them. Her initial eagerness at this arrangement was draining away and being replaced by dread and embarrassment. _What on earth was I thinking? Kate is going to for sure see how miserable I am at conversation. This is going to be an utter disaster,_ she thought to herself desperately. Her inner monologue was interrupted by Kate who was whistling for Hershey to return to their side since he had gone off path investigating some smell or other. Penny was suddenly grateful for Hershey’s presence for the second time today. He provided a nice distraction. 

“He seems like an excellent farm dog. He's surprisingly obedient for a former stray.” Penny ventured into a conversation cautiously. 

“He really is” Kate replied, “At first I was worried I’d have to keep him chained up, but he never goes too far. I think he probably just doesn’t want to be alone anymore, you know?” Kate turned to Penny with a thoughtful expression. 

Penny nodded at this, understanding the feeling. They continued their journey in silence, and Penny became hopeful. Kate wasn’t rushing to fill the silence which helped her feel more at ease. Maybe this wouldn’t be as uncomfortable as she thought? 

Looking ahead up the path, she pointed, “We need to come off this main path here, and then we’ll be able to sit down and eat.” Penny led Kate and Hershey down a narrow, wooded footpath to the right that led towards the river embankment. After a bit, they reached their destination. 

The river lay flowing steadily before them. The slope of the embankment was gentle, and several downed trees acted as excellent boundaries, giving the area an air of privacy. On the sandy shore in front of the logs was an old circle of river stones that had once been a fire ring. Any remnants of a fire were long since gone. The green canopy of the trees swayed above them with the breeze and provided a dappled shade. 

“I can see why this is one of your favorite spots, Penny” Kate said, looking up and all around, taking in the scenery. 

Penny tried not to enjoy the sound of her name from Kate’s lips too much. So much so, she found herself saying without thinking, “This used to be one of my father’s favorite fishing spot” These words were out of her mouth before she knew it, and she immediately turned away from Kate and winced at the off-hand comment. She began pulling the blanket and drinks from her satchel, and busied herself making a comfortable place to sit on the sand. 

When she finally had the courage to look at Kate again, she was smiling gently, “I can certainly see why. There’s plenty of shade, and it looks like the river eddies nicely over there. Must be perfect for trout, right?”

Penny blinked in surprise, “Yes, actually. We used to come down here every Autumn with our rods and a cooler.” Penny paused to chuckle at the memory, “By the end of the day we’d have a cooler of trout and I’d be sick of eating it before the week was up!” 

Kate settled on the blanket across from Penny and began doling out the pizza, “That sounds amazing. Willy has been trying to teach me to fish, but I’m not sure I have the patience for it”, Kate said a bit ruefully. Penny couldn’t stop herself from chuckling at this and Kate sighed, “I suppose it’s pretty obvious patience isn’t one of my virtues.”

Penny stifled her laugh with a bite of pizza, allowing her more time to get her thoughts together. Kate was perpetually in motion, and the thought of her squirming on a dock with a fishing pole brought her more delight than she thought it would. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. But you’re right, it really is a test of patience. When I was very young I apparently used to throw tantrums and demand to go home when I got bored.”

Kate quirked an eyebrow, “You? Throwing tantrums? Now that would be a sight to see” 

“Cut me some slack, I was only six and was used to getting my way!” Penny exclaimed good naturedly. 

“Ah, so you were spoiled then!” Kate chuckled. 

Penny hummed in thought, looking over at the river, “I suppose so. I was...or I guess, am, an only child...My parents wanted me to have everything then.” Penny quieted herself, and took another bite of pizza, feeling another blush creeping up her cheeks. 

Thankfully, Kate ignored that last comment and asked, “Do you still fish?” Kate looked at her with an open face, clearly inquiring without ill intent, but Penny felt her heart clench at the comment. 

“No, not anymore.” Penny said with a soft finality, throwing Hershey one of the mushrooms that had fallen off her pizza. He caught it eagerly. 

She looked up to see Kate’s warm brown eyes regarding her gently, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” Kate said cautiously. 

Penny smiled weakly, “No...It’s fine.” Penny drew herself up and took a deep breath and looked back at the flowing, murky water, “My father passed away almost eight years ago now. I was fourteen then. He had lung cancer”, Penny glanced over at Kate to gauge her reaction. She was now looking over at the water as well. Penny continued, “After he died, my mom and I would try and fish because of the family tradition, but it...it just wasn’t the same.” Penny finished, and leaned into Hershey who had settled next to her. 

After a moment of silence, she could feel Kate’s eyes on her, “Thank you for sharing that, Penny. And for sharing this space with me. I know stuff like that isn’t easy.” 

Penny nodded, feeling both relieved and awkward. She hadn’t really ever talked to anyone about this because, well, everyone who knew her lived it. Everyone in Pelican Town had watched her once strong and able father diminish to a shell of who he once was. She had never had to share that information with anyone before. She couldn’t help but feel surprised that she had the gumption to share it with Kate. It hadn’t been pleasant, but Kate’s warmth helped her feel safe enough in the moment to divulge. 

She tried to steer the conversation back towards neutral ground, “I’m surprised Willy didn’t mention that in your lessons, they used to be in business together.” 

Kate’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “He definitely didn’t mention that! He mostly just talks about how he wishes more people in the valley fished”, Kate stopped abruptly and winced at the implication. She glanced at Penny nervously, who resolved to simply continue eating her pizza and pet Hershey who had now splayed himself beside her on the sandy ground. She continued, “I guess I just haven’t found that sweet spot with my farm, you know? Whenever I try to fish, I just keep thinking about all the other things I could be doing around the farm, and then I get antsy and have to get up and take care of it all.”

Penny laughed, and asked Kate for the updates around her farm. They spent the next half hour conversing easily, with Kate doing most of the talking and Penny asking questions here or there. Penny took no issue with this, more than happy to do most of the listening. Kate was full of an energy she felt drawn to. She clearly loved what she did, and Penny couldn’t help but delight in the way Kate animatedly spoke of her plans. 

Eventually Kate paused and said somewhat bashfully, “I don’t know if you’re still interested, but if you were, I’d probably be able to have you and the kids over next week for that field trip. That is, if you want!” she finished quickly.

Penny stifled a smile at Kate’s sudden awkwardness, knowing she would one day appreciate the favor. She said eagerly, “We are definitely still interested! I will admit, Vincent has been particularly…ah, insistent, let’s say. He asks every other day when we’ll be visiting you”. 

Kate beamed, and Penny once again felt her chest tighten and her cheeks warm, “That is perfect! Would you guys want to come this Friday? That will give me some time to get the last finishing touches together, and you to take care of the planning on your part!” 

Penny nodded and pulled out the planner she carried with her to mark it down. “It’s official then” she said. She looked back to Kate, “What do you think you’ll be able to talk about when we come?” That was clearly a big question, because Kate launched into her musing for the next long while. Penny sat on the blanket, stroking Hershey’s belly, listening intently to Kate. They passed the next hour in much the same way, each taking turns sharing their thoughts on all manner of topics. 

After a lull in the conversation, they both sat quietly contemplating the river. The sun was beginning to set and the breeze chilled Penny. She tried to stifle the shiver reflex, but it caught Kate’s eye. “Oh, you’re getting cold! We should probably head back anyways, I need to be up early tomorrow.” 

Penny felt the disappointment brewing in her stomach at this “You don’t take Sundays off?” 

Kate’s mouth quirked in a rueful smile, “Not right now, at least. I have way too much to do.” She stood, drawing her body up in a languid stretch. Penny busied herself with packing up the blanket and trash, not wanting to gawk at her exposed midriff or athletic build. 

“One of these days you’ll need to take a day off”, Penny said as she continued to gather trash and clean up the site. 

She met Kate’s eyes which were dancing mischievously, “Is that your plan for me? You just managed to get me to take an evening off; is it a whole day next?” 

“Not at all!” Penny stuttered. She furrowed her brows feeling foolish, “I’m sorry, I know I probably wasted your time tonight, you could have been busy doing something more produ-”

Kate cut her off, head shaking and hands waving to prove her point, “No! I’m sorry, that was a joke. I didn’t mean for it to sound like you had bothered me. I was the one who invited you in the first place!” Kate exclaimed at the end.

“Oh...yeah, I guess that’s true…” Penny said lamely, feeling stupid for making it about her. Fortunately, Kate’s good humor saved her from dwelling on it too long. She helped finish gathering all their things, and began to head back towards Pelican Town. Hershey was a bit reluctant to rouse himself after his nap, but he eventually joined them when he realized they were not kidding about leaving him behind. 

By the time they made it to the town square, the sun had almost completely disappeared. They stood in the twilight, shifting awkwardly as crickets and other critters made themselves known. 

Penny cleared her throat, “Thanks Kate, I really enjoyed myself this evening.” Even in the half light, Penny could see her grin. 

Kate gave a slight bow and said, “It was my absolute pleasure! We’ll have to do it again sometime, I wasn’t kidding about finding all the good spots in the valley.”

Penny chuckled, “I’m sure you weren’t.” She paused and then remarked, suddenly feeling shy, “Okay, well you have a good night. And if you don’t take the day off, at least remember to eat and take breaks!” She said this, remembering how Kate’s stomach growled after she skipped lunch a few weeks ago. 

“Of course, Penny”, Penny smiled at hearing her name again. Kate continued with her hand raised as if she were giving a pledge, “I’ll be sure to eat my three square meals and take a break every two hours.” She lowered her hand and began to stride away, but not before she continued, “And every time I take a break, you’ll know who I’ll be thinking of!” She threw a final grin and a wink over her shoulder and disappeared into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit longer than the previous ones, but I wanted to have all that in the same chapter! I'm quite proud of this chapter as well, I so enjoyed writing the two of them together! 
> 
> From here on out, we'll see a lot more interaction between Kate and Penny, so that is definitely something to look forward to. =)


	7. A Farmer's Worst Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The field trip finally begins!

Kate rose the next morning, eager to get to work. After tending to the crops and livestock, she retrieved her axe and continued to clear the land for a future pasture. She decided to leave large stumps or boulders for a later day when she had more heavy duty equipment on hand. This work gave her plenty of time to mull over the previous evening. Kate left Penny last night thinking she may have bitten off more than she could chew. She hadn’t meant to depart in such a dramatic fashion, _What the fuck was I thinking with the wink? I never wink at people! Why have I winked at Penny like, a thousand times in two weeks! She probably thinks I’m a total creep. Ugh!_ Kate swung the axe hard at the tree she was attempting to fell in frustration. 

Kate smirked as a resounding CRACK struck the air, and the tree toppled before her. Her confidence wavered though, as she sank back into her thoughts. 

When she moved to Stardew Valley, Kate did not have the intention of entangling herself with any of the locals in any serious way. At least not immediately. Sure, she had a hopeless romantic in her that imagined moving to a new town and falling in love with the first woman she saw. But her more practical side quickly dispelled that fantasy. To be honest, Kate assumed that most of the people in the valley would be on the more....conservative side, than say the Zuzu city urbanites she had previously run around with. She seriously doubted there would be any gay women who lived in the valley, let alone a gay woman that she would actually be compatible with. She pursed her lips and was reminded of Leah’s rather...apparent interest in her, and snorted when she realized that the first snag had at least been navigated. The second however, compatibility, remained to be seen.

Regarding Penny though, Kate doubted there was any legitimate interest there. She was clearly just shy and unused to conversation with strangers. Which led Kate to once again groan internally at her antics the night prior. She thought back to the way Penny’s eyes had grown distant when remembering her father. Kate had wanted to pull her into a hug in that moment, but had the good sense to know that would be too much. She winced as the axe head bounced off a knot in the tree trunk, “Why couldn’t I have had that same good sense when I left?”, she muttered to herself bitterly. The last thing she wanted to do was sour one of the first friendships she had made in the valley. _Even though she is adorable, I need to get my shit together and act like a normal person. The last thing I want to do is scare her off._

Kate paused, and dropped the axe. She was breathing rather heavily, and the sun was beating down hard on her back. She had been laboring for most of the morning and was beginning to feel fatigue, as well as hunger gnaw. She chuckled, wiped her forehead with her t-shirt, and began to make her way back to the farm house. As promised, she thought, or continued to think, of Penny. She ran through what she thought an acceptable itinerary was of the upcoming field trip. 

_First, I’ll show them the fields and give them the lowdown of all the different crops. I wonder how much Penny has taught them about microbiology, because I could talk about soil health and how all the different crops are really there to grow soil microbes, not the crops themselves! That does sound like a bit much though, so I should probably figure out how to make that make sense to two eight year olds. After that, I definitely want to show them how to milk the cows. I wonder if Jas already knows how to milk a cow? Probably, because I doubt Marnie would let her get out of chores like that. Maybe she could help with the demonstration! She’s probably a lot better than me at this point…_

Kate’s inner monologue continued in that vein for much of the rest of the day. She was dutiful in the breaks that Penny had mandated for her. She wasn’t sure if the increase in her productivity was necessarily because of the breaks, or if she was just equally eager to impress Penny with her farm as she was to keep her promises. 

She sat on her porch, with her dinner plate balanced on her lap. She propped her legs up on the railing and surveyed her land while she ate. She had at least one square acre dedicated to just crops at this point, and the rows laid themselves before her house in an orderly fashion. She already was brainstorming things she would do differently next Spring and her plans for the summer. To the right of her crops she had the chicken coop fully operational, housing at least a dozen hens. By now, they were all roosted safely in the coop, but usually they could be found meandering their way through the property, stopping and pecking at whatever caught their eye. The barn was directly next door, and the makeshift paddock found its home adjacent to it. Right now the cows relied heavily on grain and hay she had to purchase from Marnie. Kate was looking forward to the day that she could turn them out to pasture and not have to worry about micromanaging them. She continued to survey her land, mentally making another to do list for tomorrow, all too aware the turn of the season was nearly upon her. 

\-- 

Penny carried herself through the next week with hopeful trepidation. It was a vast and welcome change from the previous week. There was some tightness in her chest that remained, but Penny knew that anxiety only stemmed from anticipation of their field trip to Kate’s farm. She could easily handle that. It was not uncommon for Penny to stress herself out over planned social interaction with just about anybody. _I guess Maru would be the exception to that_ , she thought to herself. 

Jas and Vincent had been positively rambunctious after Penny had given them the news Monday, and their enthusiasm was infectious. Despite slightly frayed nerves, Penny couldn’t deny that she was looking forward to seeing the farm herself. She would finally have a chance to see what Kate is always running off to do, and she was eager to see how she’d improved the area. Penny remembered the decrepit state of the farm house, and hoped that Kate had had a chance to improve the abode. 

Thursday during school, Penny gave the children explicit instructions on how tomorrow would work, “Vincent, I am going to pick you up at your house at 8 O’clock _sharp_. After that, I’ll come get you Jas. From there we will walk to Ms. Kates Farm. Do you guys remember what you need to bring with you?” She asked the two students expectantly. 

“A water bottle!” Vincent shouted exuberantly. 

“A packed lunch”, Jas said primly, casting a sidelong glance at Vincent. 

Penny smiled approvingly at them, “Excellent. Please also make sure you wear your play clothes, because we probably will get a bit muddy. Do you have any questions?”

Vincent piped up, “Ms. Penny, are you going to get muddy too?” 

She chuckled, “I’m not sure Vincent, I’ll be doing whatever you two are doing, so I suppose there’s a chance.”

“I hope Ms. Kate has a first aid kit, do you think I should bring one just in case?” Jas asked thoughtfully. 

Penny smiled at Jas’s thoughtful and forward thinking question, “I have it on very good authority that Ms. Kate does have a first aid kit now. Though, it’s doubtful we’ll be needing it tomorrow.” Penny said, with Maru’s previous gossip in mind.

She walked the two home at the end of the school day, and was sure to remind them, “Make sure you go to sleep early tonight, you’ll need the rest!” Jas and Vincent nodded vigorously and ran off to their houses, eager to prepare for the field trip. Penny smiled at them and began making her way home as well. 

When she arrived, the trailer looked as messy as it was when she left this morning, but Pam was nowhere to be found. Penny intentionally pushed down the feelings of disappointment and frustration, and decided to forego housework for the evening. She had a field trip she had to prepare for, and she was just as excited as her students to prepare for the day. 

\--

Kate’s eyes shot open when her alarm went off at 6 am. Her body tensed with urgency, and she promptly got out of bed. Usually she moved a bit slow in the morning, but today she followed her morning routine quickly, and soon found herself standing in the chilly morning air. Mist had settled over the fields, and the grasses and crops glistened with dew. She smiled to herself, knowing her little farm was sure to impress. 

She didn’t want to complete all of her morning chores before Penny and the children arrived, but she also wanted to make sure everything that needed to get done for the day got done. She busied herself with milking most of her cows, leaving a few for the children to milk should they want to. She walked up and down the rows of her crops, inspecting them for things Jas and Vincent may be interested in. She found a few that had succumbed to pests, and another couple that had root rot. Usually Kate would be dismayed to see this, but she understood it’s a natural part of farming and the kids would probably think it’s cool. 

By 7:50 Kate had done just about everything she could think of to keep herself busy. She went back into her house that was currently a mess with the renovations Robin was doing, and put on another pot of coffee in case Penny wanted some. She went outside and began fiddling with her smelter and crafting table, taking inventories of her supplies and reviewing schematics she already knew by heart. What seemed like ages later, Hershey began to excitedly bark and wag his tail. Kate’s attention was drawn towards three figures picking their way through her southern fields.

Kate’s heart leapt at the sight, and she tried to ignore the nervous butterflies in her stomach. _Just play it cool, Kate, you can do this._

Once the three of them drew closer, Kate called out, “Welcome to my farm! It’s still a work in progress, but it’s going!” 

Jas and Vincent darted forward whooping in excitement. Penny continued at her walking pace, and laughed behind her hand at their exuberance. She wore a plain green t shirt and denim shorts. Her long red hair was braided and lay draped on her shoulder. Kate grinned at Penny when she finally arrived. Her attention was soon drawn down to Jas and Vincent who had each grabbed one of her hands. 

“Ms. Kate, are we going to plant anything? Are we going to see the chickens? Are they blue? Can we name them? Where do you keep all your swords?”

These questions were delivered rapid-fire by each child, and Kate felt a little dizzy trying to keep them all straight as she attempted to answer as they were delivered. 

Laughing, Penny chided, “All right now, let’s give Ms. Kate a second to think! She will show us everything she wants to show us.” 

Kate smiled at her gratefully, “Uh, yes! That’s exactly right! But first, do you two know one of the biggest enemies of a farmer?” Her tone had turned serious, and Jas and Vincent shook their heads solemnly. 

“Are they bad bugs?” Jas ventured. 

“No, I think it’s probably monsters that creep out of the mines and eat all the corn!” Vincent cried, jumping up and scouring the fields for said monsters. 

“Believe it or not, the biggest enemy to a farmer….is the sun”. Kate said conspiratorially to the kids. Their faces scrunched in confusion and Kate heard Penny snort softly behind a hand, trying to hide her mirth. 

“Isn’t the sun what you need to grow the plants though?” Vincent asked slowly. 

Kate balked for a moment, “Well, yes! But farmers have to be very careful with the sun so that they don’t end up burnt to a crisp by the end of the day! Have you guys put on any sunscreen yet?” Kate watched both students scrunch up their noses. 

Penny interjected, “That is an excellent idea. I brought some sunscreen for just that reason” She pulled out a bottle from her bag and handed it to Vincent who was looking at it suspiciously. 

“Sunscreen makes me feel all slippery” he whined. 

Kate smiled down at them, “I understand Vincent, but think of it as an armor of sorts. If you wear it, the sun can’t get to you and give you a sunburn.” 

“Hmmmm, okay, that kind of makes sense. Can you help me?” he asked looking up at Kate. 

She nodded and began to help Vincent slather sunscreen on his face, arms and legs while Penny did the same to Jas and herself. Both kids grumbled slightly, but seemed resigned to let it happen. 

“Perfect, now the last thing you need are some good old fashioned straw hats!” She jogged to her porch and came back with four straw hats, two larger and two small. She placed one on herself and handed the two smaller ones to Jas and Vincent. She strode over to Penny who stood, arm extended to grab the hat. Kate ignored this, and carefully placed the hat on Penny’s head herself, careful not to muss her braid. She placed her hands on Penny’s shoulders and inspected her face to make sure she was adequately protected, “There we go, I don’t know what I would do if your perfect skin was ruined on my watch!” Penny’s face immediately grew red with a blush, and her green eyes averted their gaze. 

“What’s a farmer’s second worst enemy?” Kate heard Jas ask behind her. She was grateful for the distraction as she felt like she may have overstepped with Penny. 

She turned and exclaimed, “Why, that would be poor soil of course!” 

“Poor soil?” Vincent said, mulling the words over, “What does that mean?” 

Kate winked, “We’ll get to that later. How about I show you the cows and chickens first?”

They both beamed at Kate and she led the three of them to the chicken coop first. She noted Penny trailed behind them slightly, and kicked herself for being so forward with Penny. _It’s okay, just play it cool, and stop being so fucking weird_. Kate showed them to the entrance of the coop and Jas and Vincent stepped in with wonder at the still roosting birds. 

“What are their names”, Jas asked curiously.

“Well that one there is Frinobu” she said pointing to a sleepy looking white chicken, “and those three are Trello, Pabu and Wa” she paused looking around the rest of the coop, “I think all the other ones are already outside looking for bugs” 

“Wa?” Vincent asked, “That’s the weirdest name I’ve ever heard” he said grinning. 

“I tend to try to have a little fun every time I get a new one, makes the whole process more memorable, you know?” They nodded their heads vigorously in agreement, and Kate showed them where the egg baskets were kept. Armed with baskets, and some treats for Frinobu, Trello, Pabu and Wa, Kate showed the three of them how best to get a chicken up from its roost and gather its eggs. Soon enough there were about a dozen eggs between the four of them. 

“What do you do with all these eggs?” Penny asked curiously. Their eyes met for the first time since the sun hat exchange, and Kate was glad to see Penny didn’t seem to hold it against her. 

“For now, I just eat a lot of eggs. I’ve been making lots of quiches and that sort of thing. Hopefully one day I’ll have enough that I could start selling to Pierre, but I need to up my production a bit more before I can pull that off.” 

Penny nodded and peered into her basket, “I look forward to that, these look so much bigger and healthier than the ones in Joja Mart”.

“I should hope so! These guys are free range and have much better living conditions then Joja Mart’s chickens, I’m sure.” Kate said with pride in her voice. 

The remainder of time in the coop was spent showing Vincent and Jas how she supplemented their diet with chicken feed, and Kate found herself letting Jas explain a fair amount. As she suspected, Jas was already well versed in the basics of animal husbandry. 

“Jas, would you like to help teach Vincent and Ms. Penny how to milk a cow?” Kate asked

Jas’s eyes went wide, “Can I?” she asked, looking between Kate and Penny. 

Penny laughed, “Of course Jas, you’re certainly more of an expert than me at this!” 

Kate had already released the cows that had been milked that morning into their paddock, so there were only two in the barn when they arrived. “These gals are named Weebly and Wampu, they’re sisters” she said patting Weebly’s side. She noted Penny’s chuckle at the names, and Jas was already looking around for a stool and a pail. 

Kate stepped back as Jas took charge. She showed Vincent and Penny the proper way to sit on the stool, how to calm the cows as you milked, and the proper way to draw the milk from the udder. Vincent was a bit squeamish at the beginning, but he soon whooped with excitement as the first few streams of milk hit the bucket. Penny quickly shushed him, as Wumbo drew her head up in surprise at the outburst. Penny herself soon had a turn, and Jas helped her just as patiently as Penny might help Jas with a particularly difficult math problem. 

When Penny stood to give Vincent another turn Kate asked, “How’s it feel to be the student this time around?”

Penny let out a laugh and said, “It’s certainly good for a teacher to be in that position every once in a while, gives them perspective.” Kate nodded and cast a surreptitious glance at Penny, watching her smile fondly at her two students. She continued, “I admit, this is one of the first times I’ve seen Jas and Vincent able to get along like this...usually Jas isn’t quite as patient as she is being here” She finished thoughtfully. 

“Maybe it has something to do with it not being a “school” environment?” Kate ventured. 

Penny turned her thoughtful gaze to Kate and hummed an ascent. For once, Kate felt her own cheeks heating up under Penny’s scrutiny and was grateful for the interruption when it presented itself. 

“We milked the cows!” Vincent said excitedly, holding the pail aloft and sloshing some of the milk on the barn floor. 

“Easy does it there, partner!” Kate exclaimed snapping into action. She gently took the full pail from Vincent and placed it in an old refrigerator she had installed at the barn. 

“What do you do with the milk?” Jas asked. 

“For now I’m just experimenting with pasteurization and cheese making. Maybe one day I’ll also be able to sell some cheese at Pierre’s too?” Kate said hopefully. 

“You’ve always got a hustle on the side going, don’t you?” Penny said with amusement dancing in her eyes. 

“I’ve got to if I want to make this farm work!” 

“That’s totally fair, Kate” She said, shaking her head and acquiescing. 

Kate grinned and turned her attention back to Jas and Vincent. “Who would like to go and take a look-see at all my plants and learn about a farmer’s second worst enemy?” Their gaze brightened and they nodded vigorously. “Let’s get to it then!” Kate held the door to the barn open, and smiled as the kids took off running towards the fields.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally gotten to the field trip! The second half will be in the next chapter, no worries, I will not be cutting this short! 
> 
> Just wanted to just say a quick apology for the break in updates. The district I work for recently transitioned to "plan b" instruction, and let's just say teaching in person and virtually at the same time is as difficult as it sounds. 
> 
> Keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter because it will be out soon!


	8. A Lesson on the Farm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of their field trip to the farm!

“What’s this one called?” Vincent asked, kneeling in between the rows in the fields. The sun had finally crested over the trees, and the day was warming up. Blessed clouds had covered the sun momentarily, casting the fields in a cool shadow. 

Kate knelt down with him, examining the plant, “This is Red Russian Kale. See how the stems and the leaves have a purplish tint to them?” 

Vincent nodded, but his face remained screwed in confusion. He looked up at her with questioning eyes, “Why wouldn’t it be called Purple Russian Kale then? I don’t see any red!” 

Kate barked out a laugh, “You have an excellent point Vincent. I don’t make the rules, I just call them what’s on the seed packet!” 

Kate spent a few more minutes with Vincent, answering dozens of questions that some may consider inane or nonsensical. She found them endearing and innocent. Spending time with Jas and Vincent had already allowed her to see her land with fresh eyes, and consider things about farming she had never thought of. 

She glanced up at Penny and Jas who were a few rows over, similarly crouched on the ground. They were examining the row of rhubarb. She watched Jas take a nibble at one of the red rhubarb stalks, and crinkle her nose at the tart flavor. Penny laughed easily, consoling Jas by patting her shoulder and encouraging her to try the leaf instead. Kate thought it was the most serene she had ever seen Penny. She tried not to stare; the last thing she wanted to do was make Penny uncomfortable and ruin the ease. 

After a few more moments with Vincent, Kate stood, allowing herself a big stretch. When she turned, she noticed Penny glancing in her direction. She smiled, “How’s it going over there?” 

Penny’s eyes widened in surprise at being caught, an apology on her lips, but Jas piped up before she could say anything, “Why do you have all these other plants in the rows?” Jas gestured towards the rows of crop, but then to the green carpet of crops that found their home in between each row. Kate tried her hardest to allow for no bare soil in her fields. 

“Well Jas, that’s actually a pretty big question!” Kate said, “It all has to do microorganisms.” 

“Micro-what?” Vincent asked behind her. 

“Come over and look.” Kate suggested, helping Vincent step over the crops to where Jas and Penny were. They settled opposite of them, the large fan like rhubarb leaves spreading before them. Kate fixed her eyes on the kids, “Do you know what human beings breathe?”

“Oxygen!” They both cried out in unison. 

Kate chuckled, “That’s correct. Do you know what we breathe out?”

There was a bit more of a pause from them as they pondered, “I think it’s called….car...beans?” Vincent offered hopefully. 

This time Penny was the one to chuckle, “Close Vincent, it’s called carbon dioxide.” Both children took the time to say the words, testing the new phrase in their mouth. 

Kate continued, “Right. We breathe in oxygen, and exhale carbon dioxide. Plants are the opposite of us! They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen.” She delighted in the wonder on Jas and Vincent’s faces as they stared down at the rhubarb plant before them. “That’s important to know, because plants can take in the carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, or sky, and use it to feed the soil and make it healthier.” 

Kate paused at Jas’s question, “But the soil doesn’t have a belly? How does it get fed…?” Jas, Vincent and even Penny were looking at her with their full attention, ready to hear the rest of the explanation. Kate tried to ignore the nerves that were coiling in her stomach, hoping she could speak clearly. 

She leaned over and exposed a patch of soil under the green crop of clover she had planted in between the rows. “The soil particles don’t have stomachs themselves, but there are billions of microscopic critters in the soil who do.” Kate chuckled at their still confused faces. She dug in the ground a bit more, and cupped a pile of soil in her palms and held it up for Jas and Vincent to see. “In this little pile of soil, there are billions of teeny tiny little animals. Do you know what bacteria and germs are?”, Jas and Vincent nodded vigorously, “They’re basically that! They just don’t necessarily make people sick, but they help make sure the soil has the right nutrients in it for the plants to eat.”

Vincent and Jas’s face were still scrunched in confusion, trying to process this new information. Penny took the opportunity to interject. She reached out to Kate, her hands cupped, and took the sample of soil. She held it towards the children, “The very very small germs and bacteria live in the soil.” She said this plainly and waited for head nods of understanding. She continued, “While they live in the soil, they have to eat, and what happens after people eat?” 

“They poop!” Vincent shouted, delighted.

Penny chuckled, “Yes, except what the germs, or microorganisms “poop”, is very healthy for the soil and the plants too!” 

Kate watched the understanding flick on in their faces. She placed a hand on Penny’s shoulder and said slightly embarrassed, “Thanks for translating for me, I’m definitely not as good at explaining things as you.”

She shook her head, “Not at all, a second explanation always goes a long way”. 

Jas interrupted them, “But why have this extra grass stuff?” she asked, running her hands through the bed of clovers in between the crops. 

Kate chuckled, “I guess I have to bring it back around don’t I? If I didn’t have clover planted here, it would be bare soil which would make it….?”

“Hungry soil!” Vincent whooped as he jumped up. 

“That’s exactly right!”, Kate said proudly. 

They spent the next hour or so walking the fields. The kids would stop whenever they thought of a question, or were particularly interested in a crop. Kate encouraged them to pick whatever looked tasty and try it out. Vincent was reluctant at first claiming, “Green things are gross!”. But he soon gave in when he saw Jas enjoying herself so thoroughly. 

Kate found herself torn between engaging with the kids while also wishing to walk alongside Penny and hear all her thoughts. She had been very quiet, only interjecting to help explain something Kate was struggling with, or to help break up any of the fussing between the two. Otherwise, she felt inscrutable to Kate. Kate chewed on her lip mulling this over while she stood next to Penny and watched Jas and Vincent inspect a particularly large earthworm that had itself wrapped around the base of a tomato plant. Penny was smiling fondly at their antics. 

Kate lowered her voice so that the kids wouldn’t hear, and leaned down towards Penny, “I know we’ll probably be breaking for lunch soon, and I’m not sure if you had any other plans for them today, but I was thinking we could all go to the river together?” Kate asked, recognizing that there was just the barest hint of hope that colored her tone. She wasn’t sure she cared if Penny noticed. 

Penny’s mouth curved into a small smile as she peered up at Kate from under the brim of her hat, “I think the kids would really enjoy that.” Kate felt relief loosen her chest and she beamed at Penny. 

“Excellent! Let’s go ahead and have lunch then. That way we’ll be at the river during the hottest part of the day.” Kate turned her attention immediately back at the kids, witnessing Vincent cupping the earthworm in his hand. Jas was cringing slightly at the sight while Vincent chuckled gleefully to himself. Kate interjected, “What do you guys say we have some lunch and then head to the river to swim?” 

Jas gasped in joy while Vincent stared Kate straight in the face, seriousness coloring his features, “Only if we can play chicken.” 

She chuckled nervously at his sudden change in tone and scratched the back of her neck, looking towards Penny for guidance. She caught Penny rolling her eyes at Vincent and saying in resignation, “Yes Vincent, we can play chicken, but only if everyone wants to, and IF you can follow the rules!” 

_They’ve clearly had this conversation before,_ Kate mused to herself as they began to walk back to the farm house. Vincent was now proudly exclaiming that he would defeat Jas at all costs and that she didn’t stand a chance. Penny walked between them, chastising Vincent for his harsh words. 

Soon enough, they were all situated on Kate’s front porch, munching on their lunches contentedly. Jas and Vincent sat on the floor boards, giggling as Hershey playfully nosed at their sandwiches and bags of chips. Penny chose to sit on the porch swing. Not wanting to crowd her space, Kate opted to sit on an old stool, wishing she had the guts to sit on the swing too. 

What seemed like mere seconds later, Jas stood up and said excitedly, her black curls bouncing along with her, “Are you guys done yet? We gotta get to the river!” 

“Yeah! I’m all sweaty and muddy and I gotta kick your butts at chicken!” Vincent joined in

Kate chuckled and said to Penny who looked torn between reprimanding them and laughing at them, “They really don’t ever stop going, do they?”

Penny grinned with her eyebrow raised, “Seems they take after Stardew’s local farmer, doesn’t it?” Kate opened her mouth to retort, but closed it sheepishly realizing she really had no room to talk. Penny just laughed at her silence and helped Jas and Vincent clean up their trash. As she straightened up she said, “I think we should meet at the river in an hour. That will give us enough time to change into our suits and meet at the river.”

Kate nodded vigorously in agreement, “Sure! I’ll go ahead and scope out a nice beach spot near Cindersnap forest.” 

“That sounds great” Penny paused, and Kate felt like she saw her grow uncertain, “Um, kids let’s give Ms. Kate, a big thank you for showing us her farm.” Kate felt heat rise in her cheeks under Penny’s gaze. Both Jas and Vince bounded up to give her a hug. 

She patted their heads a little awkwardly, “You guys are welcome back anytime. If all goes well, it will always keep growing!”

“Yeah, you gotta get like a thousand more chickens and a bunch of pigs!”, Vincent insisted.

“I don’t know about a thousand, but I’m definitely expanding the livestock. Don’t you worry about that! 

“And you don’t even have a farm name! You need to work on that, because that’s just weird…” Jas said with a furrowed brow.

“You haven’t named your farm?”, Penny’s eyes widened in surprise. Kate sheepishly shook her head. Penny’s mouth formed a concerned frown and nodded wisely, “Jas is right, that needs to become a priority.” 

“Alright! Alright. I’ll get on it.” Kate promised, feeling a bit ganged up upon. “You guys get going, and I’ll see you in an hour.” Kate shooed them off her porch and walked them make their way down the road towards Pelican Town. Jas and Vincent chased each other about, clearly in possession of infinite energy. She watched Penny walk a bit behind them. As soon as her oversized sun hat and red braid were out of sight, Kate rushed into your house and began searching for her bathing suit that was probably still packed away in a box.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very much looking forward to this next chapter. 
> 
> Also, I tried to as accurately as possible present information on microbiology and soil health without making it boring and dry....hopefully I succeeded! I didn't want to make it too rambley and soap boxy. I really could have gone on and on, but it wouldn't have been developmentally appropriate to get that into it with Jas and Vincent. But there will assuredly be more of that because I am personally super interested in farming and soil health....so get ready for that! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading guys! Leave a comment and let me know what you like or would like to see more of!


	9. A New Opportunity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this update took so long. This chapter was very difficult for me to write for some reason. I hope you enjoy!

Penny strode into the trailer, welcoming the relief of the air conditioned space. She immediately set to work digging in her closet for a bathing suit. To her horror, the only one she could uncover was the two-piece that Maru had _insisted_ she buy last summer. They had spur of the moment decided to visit a waterpark in Zuzu city, and Maru had strong feelings about “looking cute”. Penny had been more than happy to go, but she felt uncomfortable and vulnerable being in a space with so many people and so little on. Fortunately, Maru also helped her find a cute knit white swimsuit cover up that kept the worst of her mortification at bay. 

She changed quickly, and stood before her mirror. She couldn’t help but shrink at the sight of herself. She was barely comfortable fully clothed, how on earth could she stand to be around Kate in a bikini? She felt the familiar feeling of shame coiling in her stomach and she quickly donned the coverup and sun hat, hoping to make her appearance more palatable. She took a deep, calming breath, and brought her eyes back to the mirror. She forced her body to relax, trying not to imagine what Kate would think of her when she first laid eyes on her. She understood that she was not hideous, but Penny felt so deeply uncomfortable with the idea of other people seeing her. Penny decided to step into a pair of denim shorts and immediately felt more at ease. Trying to push all of this from her mind, Penny continued packing her bag with extra towels and snacks for the kids. She cast one last look at herself in the mirror, and shored up her nerves with a brisk nod, and left the trailer. 

\---

Kate dumped her cooler on the river bank and cast her eyes around. She was intentional to choose a stretch of the river that would make for easy swimming for the kids. Hershey snuffled around the area, exploring the pieces of driftwood that had washed up on the shore. The sun still shined brightly, so she set to work setting up an old beach umbrella she had laying around. She stood back, inspecting the small outpost, but her attention was soon drawn away by a whooping sound. 

Kate turned and saw for the second time that day Penny, Jas and Vincent heading her way. Once again, Jas and Vincent dashed ahead as soon as they caught sight of Kate, leaving Penny in the dust. Penny just chuckled to herself at this, and continued on. Kate noted the kids running towards her, but allowed her gaze to linger on Penny. Despite her hands being full, the combination of her easy gait, haphazard braid and grin directed towards the children lent her an air of carefree satisfaction that Kate had never seen on Penny. Kate smiled to herself at this and felt a slight ache in her chest. Kate stepped forward to help Penny with her bags, relieving her of the extra weight. 

“Their well of energy is apparently infinite” Penny commented good naturedly towards the kids. They splashed in the shallows of the water, wondering at the feeling of river shoes submerged in water. 

Kate nodded in agreement, “I’m impressed you’re able to keep up with them so well. I think I would be exhausted by the end of each day I spent with them.” 

Penny shrugged and nodded towards Jas and Vincent splashing in the shallows, “You learn to find ways to direct that energy in directions that don’t involve you.” Kate watched Penny’s expression turn into a poorly disguised mischievous grin as her eyes remained fixed on the children behind her. Kate turned just in time to see Jas creeping up with her hand outstretched and wild look in her eyes. 

“Tag, you’re it!” Jas screeched and then darted away. 

Kate turned back to Penny who was now clutching her sides and belly laughing at her indignation. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“All’s fair in tag!” Penny said through her laughter. 

“Well, if that’s the case!” Kate lunged forward and began to chase Penny across the river bank while Jas and Vincent hollered their encouragement. 

\--

Penny sat munching on chips underneath the umbrella Kate had brought. She was touched by Kate’s thoughtfulness. She glanced towards Kate who was laying on her belly and fussing over a now wet and sandy Hershey. She wore a light blue bikini top with black boy shorts. Penny averted her eyes and blushed at how often her gaze was drawn to Kate’s strong figure. Penny had noticed from the beginning that Kate was taller and clearly stronger than she would ever be. But seeing Kate so casually _exposed_ fascinated, as well as scared her. 

After their time playing tag and splashing in the river, Penny had immediately put her coverup back on and internally lamented she could not put her shorts back on for fear that they would become soaked. Kate however, was perfectly comfortable in her own skin. Playing with the kids, chasing Hershey around, or casually sun bathing. She did all of it with a confidence Penny found entrancing. She wondered what it would feel like to be so comfortable in her own skin. To not ever feel the desire to conceal herself from the eyes of others. She quickly glanced back over to Kate again who now lay with her head down on the towel, eyes closed. Penny chewed on her bottom lip, and cast her eyes back towards the children who were once again playing in the shallows. It looked like they were beginning to dig a trench in the river bank and watching the diverted water flow through. 

“When we first met, do you remember what you told me you did in Stardew Valley?”, Kate’s voice startled Penny. She was still laying on her stomach, but she had shifted her position so she was leaning on her elbows. Her hazel eyes were thoughtful and steady on Penny. 

“Uh...was it that I tutored Jas and Vincent?”, she said, wondering where this was going. 

“Yup.” Kate said plainly, beginning to shift to a seated position on her towel. She continued, “I think you really sold yourself short there.”

Penny cocked her head to the side, “What do you mean?”

Kate smiled, “The word tutor makes it seem like you just help them out with their studies for a few hours here or there. I know I don’t spend much time in Pelican Town, but even I can tell that you’re more than a tutor.” 

Penny shifted uncomfortably, “I...I don’t think it would be truthful if I called myself their teacher, I don’t have any formal training or anything.” 

Kate hummed for a moment and turned her gaze to Jas who was chasing Vincent around with a particularly nasty clump of algae, “I don’t know if that really matters. You’ve been their sole teacher for their whole education right? I think that means you're absolutely qualified.” She said this last part with an eager grin and Penny couldn’t help but smile, but wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “Have you...have you ever considered college, Penny?”

Penny started at the question, turned towards Kate and shrugged, “I...I never really had an option, to be honest.” She looked out towards the river and spoke distantly, “My mom lost her job my senior year, and we started hurting for money. After I graduated highschool...it was clear Mom was heading down a...less than desirable path. I originally just babysat for Jodi and Marnie when I was in school, but when they became old enough for Kindergarten, they asked if I wanted to privately tutor them. I jumped at the chance at a steady income and I’ve been doing it for the last three years now.” Penny chanced a look at Kate who was also watching the river now. “I want to do well by them. They deserve everything I can give them.” She finished quietly. 

“They’re very lucky to have you, Penny”. She looked up and saw that Kate was smiling sincerely. Penny was not sure what to say, but Kate layed back down on her blanket, face turning into a smirk, “I think you would have a lot of fun with college classes.” 

“What makes you say that?”, Penny blustered.

“You’re such a nerd!” Kate teased, “You’d definitely enjoy all the books you’d need to read and probably wouldn’t mind any of the papers either.” 

Penny opened her mouth to protest, but snapped it shut quickly, “You’re right.” She mumbled begrudgingly, “History and English were my favorite classes in Highschool and I was one of the few students who did all the reading.” 

Kate laughed, “Of course you were! I pegged you for one of those almost immediately.” Penny rolled her eyes, but could not help but laugh along with Kate. She clearly had judged Penny correctly, there was no denying that. Their laughter faded after a few moments. 

Penny had returned her gaze to the river before them and said wistfully, “I have thought about enrolling in the Community College in Zuzu City.”

“What’s stopping you?” Kate inquired.

Penny snorted, “Same thing that was from the beginning: money, time, transportation. Take your pick”. She realized she was beginning to sound bitter, but did not know how else to feel about the situation. This was not the first time she contemplated how she would lead her life differently if she had the means to. As long as her mother decided to waste Penny’s money and time on drinking, she would not be able to do anything differently. 

“Do you work over the summer?” Kate asked, her brown eyes fixed on her face. 

Penny shifted uneasily under her gaze, realizing just how much she had divulged about herself in the last few minutes, “I do here and there. Some babysitting or minor things around town to help make ends meet since I don’t get a salary over the summer. Why do you ask?” 

Kate did not answer for a moment, and Penny felt anxiety beginning to claw its way back into her chest. _I’ve finally done it. I just sat here and complained about how pathetic my life is, and now Kate’s probably wondering how she can get out of this. She knows how miserable a person I am now and probably wants nothing to do with me._ These thoughts swirled around Penny’s head until Kate’s voice cut through them altogether. 

“Would you consider working on my farm this summer?”

Penny blinked. “What?” she said, incredulously. 

Kate was leaning forward now, with an earnest look on her face. “Would you want to come work on my farm this summer? I’ve got lots of projects and I’m only one person. Having an extra pair of hands around would go a long way in helping me reach my goals.” As Kate spoke, her tone grew more excited. 

Penny began shaking her head vigorously, “I don’t think that would be a very good idea Kate. I would only slow you down…” 

“Nonsense!” Kate exclaimed, “It’s nothing you couldn’t learn. And think of it, I’ll pay you what, fifteen an hour?” 

Penny’s eyes bulged, “Fifteen an hour? Kate! That’s far far too generous, I absolutely cannot accept that.” 

“What are you talking about? That’s minimum wage?” Kate countered. 

Penny sputtered, “Maybe in Zuzu City, but not here in Stardew!” 

Kate paused, “Really? How is anyone supposed to earn a living wage here? Ah, it doesn’t matter. I’ll pay you fifteen an hour to work at my farm this summer. What do you think, Penny?”

Penny felt like her head was spinning. The only thing anchoring her to this moment was Kate’s hopeful, open face. She shook her head firmly. “I...I don’t know Kate, this is all a lot right now.” 

She hated how Kate’s face fell, “That’s alright Penny, I did kinda just overwhelm you a bit, didn’t I?” She was rubbing the back of her neck bashfully. “You go on and think about it. I am serious though, having you work on the farm would be a huge help, but I don’t want to pressure you into anything.” 

She nodded dumbly, trying to process what Kate had just offered. Penny stared straight ahead, determined not to look towards Kate as she stood up. In her periphery, she could tell Kate was in the midst of a stretch, but Penny was certain that given the most recent discussion, her heart would not be able to withstand the additional stressor that was watching Kate’s lithe body move so easily. 

A voice called out from behind where they were sitting, “Hey there, Ms. Farmer. I knew you would clean up well enough to be a model.” 

Both women turned to see Leah sauntering out of the woodline. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore a purple tank top and denim coveralls. At her side was a basket that looked to be full of foraged materials from Cindersnap. Her mouth was curved into a suggestive smile, and Penny noted the fierce blush that had made an appearance across Kate’s cheeks. As soon as she took all of this in, she turned around immediately, sensing this conversation was not for her and that she could remain hidden behind the umbrella. 

Kate laughed nervously as a response to Leah’s comment, “Um, thanks Leah…” 

Penny winced at her obviously shy tone. 

“No reason to thank me for pointing out the obvious.” Leah practically purred. 

Penny rolled her eyes. 

“Heh, yeah! Well, I’m just out here with Penny and the kids. They just paid a visit to the farm as a field trip!” Penny turned back around begrudgingly, not seeing a way out of the interaction now, and nodded towards Leah. 

“Well isn’t that just lovely! I must say, I’m a bit jealous! Penny, you’ll have to bring the kids by my studio sometime so they can see all my sculptures.” 

Penny nodded and smiled in agreement, though she would not have been surprised if it seemed she was grimacing instead. 

Leah promptly turned her attention back to Kate who was still shifting her weight from one foot to the other nervously. “Same goes to you Kate.” Penny tried not to roll her eyes again, but was unsuccessful. Penny chewed her lip while the conversation came to a conclusion and Leah said her goodbye to Kate. 

She heard her clear her throat, “Well I think I’m going to go ahead and get back in the water with the kids.” 

Penny met Kate’s gaze and felt a flush creeping up her neck. She did not know how to conduct herself after their conversations in the last half hour, and Penny found herself wishing for the first time for Kate to go away. She felt like she needed space to process everything that was said. Penny nodded to Kate and watched her bound towards the children. Even as a new anxiety settled in her chest, Penny found herself smiling at the antics of the three individuals down by the river.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, yes, Leah will kind of be a romantic rival. Kind of. She's def a lot more forward than she would be in the game, but she wouldn't be a very good romantic rival if she wasn't, you know?


	10. A New Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holidays hit me hard, but I have returned!

“She offered what?”, Maru exclaimed in excitement. 

Penny flinched, “Will you quiet down? I don’t need your whole family knowing my business.” Penny sat curled up on a couch in Maru’s basement workshop. Maru sat on the floor, her most recent tinkering experiment forgotten. 

Maru snorted, “The only one who would be able to hear us down here is Sebie and he’s always got his ear buds in. We’re definitely fine.” She leaned in eagerly, “Okay, tell me everything.” 

Penny took a deep steadying breath. “I don’t see why you’re getting so excited about this. All she did is ask if I wanted to help her on the farm this summer.” 

“And you’re definitely saying yes, right Penny?” Maru squinted at Penny and used a tone that suggested Penny’s only option was to say yes. 

“Ru, you know how awful that would be for me. I like my time off, I’m also super weak. There is no way I would even be any help to her, I would just slow her down!” Penny rattled these reasons off. Maru just narrowed her eyes, climbed onto the couch next to Penny and clasped her friends hands in hers. 

“Penny.” Maru started seriously, eyes boring into hers. 

“Maru.” Penny replied. 

“This is your chance.” She said this matter of factly. She ignored Penny’s eye rolling and continued, “Penny, I’m serious! You could make enough money to enroll in a couple classes in the Fall.”

“I know.” Penny muttered. The very next day after the field trip, Penny had used the computers in the library to do some research. She had done the math. At fifteen an hour she would be able to enroll in classes and actually build up some savings. It was a very tempting offer. “It doesn’t even matter though. I still have to teach Jas and Vincent!” 

“Night classes are a thing for a reason, Pen” Maru said, waving her hand dismissively. 

“I wouldn’t even know how to get there twice a week, I don’t have a car!” Penny cried, grasping at straws. 

Maru laughed and tugged at Penny’s hands, “You know my mom would always be willing to drive you!” Maru’s gaze shifted and her eyebrow quirked conspiratorially, “Besides, I bet there’s a certain farmer who wouldn’t mind giving you rides if you asked sweetly enough.” Maru had to lean back to avoid a pillow being shoved in her face as she laughed and Penny exclaimed in anger. 

“None of that even matters.” Penny said in a huff as she crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest, “Because I just don’t want to do it. I don’t want to work on Kate’s farm.” Penny finished with her nose in the air, hoping the finality of her tone would put Maru off. It never seems to work, though. 

“Oh c’mon Pen. You look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want to see Farmer Kate swinging an axe, getting sweaty and cutting down trees. Or that you don’t want to be around when she strips down to jump in the pond because she’s just a little too hot.” 

“Maru! You really shouldn’t talk like that about her, it isn’t appropriate!” Penny admonished, all too aware of her blush and the visuals she had already conjured of her own accord. 

“I’m just saying, it would be a wasted opportunity. You’re telling me you just don’t _want_ them? I know _that’s_ a lie.” Maru leaned back on the couch and fixed her with a discerning gaze. 

Penny squirmed under the scrutiny and finally let out, “Ru, what if it goes wrong? What if I agree to it...and...and it’s just awful? What if I try to help her and I only make things worse? What if I go to chop down a tree and it lands on one of her chickens or something?” Her eyes bulged, “Or Yoba-forbid, it falls on _her_. Maru, there’s just too many things that could go wrong.” Penny finished, breathless. 

“Penny,” Maru interjects. She leans in and her face is soft and earnest, “What if it goes right?” 

She sat there silent, not daring to respond to that question. If it went right, Penny might have a chance to climb out of the pit her Mother had been digging for the past five years. She could actually make enough money to feed them comfortably all summer. She would have enough for savings. What would Penny even do with that? She had never had any savings to speak of, but what if she could? 

She would be able to go to College. She could sit in class with an actual professor and be taught, instead of teaching. She would have an excuse to read all sorts of books she would never even think to read. Even the thought of writing papers sounded exciting. All of it sounded like a dream.

She contemplated the other things that could go right. She could spend time with Kate. The thought of this drove her to blush again, remembering Maru’s implications. She bit her lip, noticing that her chest was constricting with a mix of emotions. There was a deep seated fear that was all too familiar to her: Fear of making a fool of herself, fear of being too much or not enough. But as she reflected, she realized she was mostly afraid of the seed of hope that was beginning to take root. Kate had been so kind to her so far. Penny recognized intellectually that everything would _probably_ be fine. But if it wasn’t fine? Penny was not sure she would be able to survive the dashing of that hopeful seed on the rocks. 

What was Penny even hoping for? She felt uncertain, but sensed that accepting Kate’s offer would alter her life in more ways than one. She would have a chance at an education. She would get so much more _time_ with Kate. Her stomach flipped a somersault within her and a feeling of dread swam in her belly at the opportunities she would have to make a fool of herself. She took a deep breath and thought of Kate’s soft, earnest eyes that always seemed to be drawing Penny out. Perhaps Penny should give in. 

“Okay.” Penny said slowly. 

“Okay?” Maru exclaimed.

“You’ve talked me out of outright denial...I’ll give it some serious thought.” Penny said, finally looking Maru in the eyes. 

“I’ll take whatever progress I can get”, her friend replied with a kind smile. She leaned in again and clasped Penny’s hands in hers. Penny took another steadying breath, yearning to return to more light hearted conversation. 

Penny started with a sly smile, “Anyways, I’ll do it if you agree to dance with Haley at the Flower Dance this weekend.”

Maru withdrew her hands as if and cried out as if she had been shocked, “Penny, that’s just cruel!” 

“That’s an even trade!”, Penny bargained.

Maru flopped her full length out on the couch, resting her legs on Penny’s lap. “But Haley is so...so Haley! You know how I get when I’m around her. I can barely even look at her, let alone ask her to dance and then, Yoba what, actually dance with her? I’d have an actual heart attack over the stress!”

Penny nodded sympathetically, “I know Maru, but what if it goes _right_?”

Maru rolled her eyes and furrowed her brows, “Hey, that was my best friend line, you aren’t allowed to steal it!”

Penny laughed and pinched Maru’s foot, “Yes, yes, it’s all yours!” Maru sniffed haughtily and Penny asked slowly, “Remind me again...how many times has Haley asked you to fix her broken camera this month?”

Maru eyed her warily, “Four times….”

“And how many of her splinters have you had to treat at Dr. Harvey’s?”, she continued innocently. 

“Two…”

Penny snorted, “Maru, I think you could walk up to Haley right now and kiss her and she’d be fine with it.” Seeing Maru’s eyes bulging at this, Penny chuckled and acquiesced, “But I think a dance would be a good first step, yeah?” 

Maru grabbed one of the many pillows on the couch and chucked it at Penny’s head, sending both women into a fit of giggles. 

\--

Kate had taken some time to venture into Cindersap forest with her foraging basket. She was so often busy around the farm that she rarely dedicated time to foraging or exploring. She constantly felt like she was battling time, trying to make every moment of her day as productive as possible. Today she was hoping to find some of the more exotic items that the Junimos wanted for the Community Center. 

It had been several weeks since Kate was given a window into the more mystical aspects of the valley. Admittedly, she was still getting used to it. She was familiar with the fairy tales and stories of forest spirits, but her life in the city was so divorced from nature and its denizens, she had always discounted those tales as fancy. Meeting the Wizard and consuming his concoction had opened her eyes to things previously unseen. 

It is rare a day passes without her noticing at least a few of the bouncing, colorful forms of junimos dancing at the forests’ edge on her property. She also noticed that her relationship with the livestock on her farm deepend. Perhaps Kate was reading too much into it, but she felt that she understood Wampu’s aloof disposition not as a personal affront anymore, but more as a personality quirk. Weebly on the other hand, was the life of the party between the two cows, She would often try to rope Wampu into frolicking, or generally goofing off as much as cows can. Kate noticed now that there was a strong bond between the two, and had come to recognize them for their individual personalities. 

She smiled absentmindedly, enjoying the sight of dappled sunlight cascading through the overstory. Cindersap had a tendency to be a rather dark forest with the heavy, thick coverage of pine trees. She cherished any relief from the heavy shade to enjoy the sun’s peeking rays. 

Kate would stop every once in a while, kneel on the pine needle strewn floor, and gently sift through the top layer of forest detritus until she could see the rich soil underneath. Invariably she would take note of the white threads of mycorrhizae from the forest mushrooms that acted as an ideal soil amendment that helped trees receive the necessary nutrients. Each time Kate did this, it was in the hope that she could gather several mushrooms herself, and use them to create strong fungal dominated soil for her own future orchards. 

After several hours of her wanderings with Hershey, Kate felt it was time to return to the farm. She could actively feel her ever looming to-do list returning to the forefront of her brain as she left the peaceful embrace of Cindersap forest. She heaved a deep sigh and looked down to Hershey as she walked. 

“It’s just you and me, bud.” She murmured to herself. 

It had been several days since the field trip, and Kate had not spoken to anyone but Hershey or her animals since then. She had been busy around the farm: Planting, weeding, watering, clearing the land. She had no reason to go into town, so she didn’t. Kate bit her lip. She supposed she did have a reason...but she felt too cowardly to actually follow through with it. She worried she had come on too strong with her invitation to Penny work on the farm, and thought it might be best to let Penny approach her about it. 

She set her mouth into a line as she contemplated her reasons for asking Penny to help on the farm.   
Kate could not articulate how proud she was to own the farm and work it herself. But she could not deny that it was _hard_ work. She fell into her bed each night, exhausted and ready to repeat the process the next day. Penny agreeing to work on the farm filled the obvious role of sharing the workload. Kate knew she would get to go to bed every night a little less exhausted, or at least with more work completed on the farm. 

But as she made her way back to her farmhouse with the evening approaching, she couldn’t deny her company would be welcome. Kate sat on her porch and began to sort out her foraged items while she reflected. She had come to terms with the knowledge she had a crush on Penny. She snorted at the thought, _I sound ridiculous._ She sighed and leaned her head back on the porch railing. Kate wanted to spend time with Penny. She wanted to know her. Kate already sensed that Penny did not have many strong relationships with the other villagers, or at least that she held them at arm's length. She was genuinely grateful that Penny seemed to make an exception for her. She had opened up at her family background a lot more than Kate was thinking she would. Penny also seemed to trust her to help with the kids. Kate smiled to herself again, trying to allow herself to feel pride at those realizations rather than the silliness of a new crush. 

She wanted Penny to accept her offer. No doubt about that. But for now Kate felt like she needed to bide her time and let Penny come to her. Hershey nosed his way up to her, apparently sensing the conflict within her. Kate reached up and ruffled his ears, “Alright Hershey. The Flower dance is in two days. Everyone in town will be there, and it would be completely normal for me to talk to her there. Right? No pressure on her, no pressure on me. But….hopefully she does give me an answer because I’m dying to know!” She said this last statement with a dramatic air and threw her arms around Hershey’s neck. Hershey responded with a sneeze and a wag of his tail. Kate chuckled, ruffled his fur a bit, and gathered her things to settle in for the night. 

\---

Maru stepped out of the cool clinic air, and into the warmth of the evening. Her shift was over and Maru was eager to warm herself in the sun. She removed the silly traditional nurses hat that Dr. Harvey insists she wear, and began making her way to the community center. There was a favorite bench she liked to frequent after her shifts. 

The dilapidated community center was a welcome sight to Maru. She cast her eyes around, making sure no one was around, and reached into her bag for her usual overalls and t-shirt. With a last furtive glance around, she stripped to her tank top and boyshorts and quickly changed. Feeling much more at ease with the starched white uniform discarded, she sank into the bench and turned her face upwards to the sun. 

The warmth sunk through her skin and embraced her sore muscles and joints. She appreciated the experience she would get on paper working at the clinic. It could be incredibly boring though. Stardew was such a sleepy town that they primarily dealt with yearly check ups and the occasional fever. Reflecting for a moment, Maru did note that the last several months had been the busiest she could remember with Kate moving into town. She constantly needed her first aid kit restocked. Dr. Harvey would occasionally ask to take a look at whatever scrape Kate had endured, but she was hard pressed to let that happen. _She’s stubborn for sure._ Maru thought with a smirk. _Penny will have a real test of her patience with that one._

Maru sat up straight on the bench, satisfied with her brief sunbathing. She was about to pull out her sketchbook and workshop an idea she had been fiddling with for awhile, but was interrupted by the muffled sounds of a frustrated exclamation from the other side of the community center. She stood and curiously began to walk towards the noise. She rounded the corner of the community center. Simultaneously, she felt her heart leap in her chest and a grin breakout across her face. 

Haley stood facing the side of the community center with a pout and furrowed brows directed towards the roof. Her camera was slung around her neck, and she tapped her foot impatiently. Maru followed her line of sight and thought she could just make out a birds nest of some sort. 

Before she knew what she was doing, she called out, “Having some trouble over there?” She tried to hide the laughter in her voice, but suspected she failed. 

Haley whipped her head in her direction and fixed Maru with a withering glare. When Haley met Maru’s gaze though, her shoulders slumped and she bowed her head in defeat, “I just want to get a good shot. But these damn birds aren’t cooperating!” 

Maru strolled up with her hands in her coveralls and stood next to Haley, “They are a bit flighty, aren’t they?”

Haley’s head shot up and she rolled her eyes, “That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, Maru.”

“I don’t know Haley, you used to hang out with Alex a lot.” Maru grinned, knowing she was pushing Haley’s buttons. 

Haley snorted, “You’re not wrong.” She looked back up towards the nest. Now that Maru was seeing the nest from a better angle, she could see it held several baby chicks craning to get dinner from their mother. 

“Ugh, Maru! Just help me figure this out!” Haley’s arms were still crossed, and she stomped her foot for emphasis.

Maru was enjoying a frustrated Haley, but would not say no to solving this problem for her, _If I can help her with this, hopefully she’d be more willing to dance with me this weekend!_ With that thought, Maru squared her shoulders, faced the nest with an analytical eye, and began to question Haley. 

“What specific shot are you trying to get here?” Maru asked. 

“I just want to get a shot of the mom feeding the baby birds.” Haley replied. Maru noticed that her response was much more calm than any other previous outbursts. 

“What is keeping you from getting the shot?”

Haley sighed, “The biggest obstacle is the angle. They’re a good thirty feet up, so I’m having trouble getting a shot that’s not just the old nasty gutters of the Community Center. On top of that, my camera lens isn’t as cutting edge as it should be to maintain focus on all those little squirmy babies.” Haley’s mouth was set in a frown and Maru couldn’t help wondering if a kiss would solve that issue right away. 

Maru cleared her throat, shaking those thoughts away, “I don’t think I can help much with the camera issues, at least not immediately. But have you considered borrowing a ladder? Not only would you be on the same level as them, but you could probably even place the ladder closer since you don’t have to take the shot from under them.”

Haley was thoughtful for a moment nodding along, but her face soon twisted in frustration again. Her blue eyes flashed as she spoke, “What an obvious solution, I’m sorry for wasting your time Maru.” She went to turn away, presumably walking back towards the town square, but Maru grabbed her hand. 

Maru’s voice was full of concern, “Haley, are you okay? What’s going on?” 

Haley stopped, but still did not turn towards her. Maru did note, however, that Haley did not withdraw her hand. “It was just such an obvious solution, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. But, it’s nothing Maru.” She sensed Haley was about to pull away and keep walking, but she moved in front of Haley, blocking her way. 

Haley’s typical haughty and aloof face was replaced with furrowed brows and a mouth set in a thin line. She looked at Maru who was now standing before her, but her eyes darted away quickly. Maru still held her hand and noticed she was shifting her weight nervously. 

Maru spoke gently, willing Haley to look at her, “There’s been many times I’ve banged my head against a wall for hours or days at a time, unable to find a solution for a project I’m working on. My father had a habit of waltzing in, studying the problem for a bit, and coming up with a fix right off!” Maru chuckled a bit, and she felt Haley squeeze her hand. “It was...extraordinarily frustrating at first. I used to intentionally hide projects from him because I thought if I got help then I wasn’t...really the one who did it, you know?” 

Haley nodded slowly, now meeting Maru’s earnest gaze. Maru continued, “You don’t have to do things yourself, Haley. There’s nothing wrong with getting help.” 

Haley chewed on her bottom lip and looked over Maru’s shoulder for a moment before speaking, “You’re probably right, Maru. I just hate it when people see I can’t do something. I know they must be thinking ‘Oh, of course Haley needs help, she doesn’t do anything for herself’, That isn’t true at all! There are lots of things that I can do.” She said this with a sniff, “There are also things that I can do that others will do for me. But that’s besides the point!” 

Maru grinned, happy to see Haley’s signature attitude was back, “Do you want my help setting up a ladder?” 

Haley turned to look at the Community Center with a critical eye, “The light is leaving us. I think I missed my window”

“What about tomorrow?” Maru asked.

“Don’t you have work tomorrow?” Haley questioned.

Maru grinned, “I’ve got the whole day off”

Haley beamed, “If it doesn’t bother you, I’d love your help.” 

Maru felt her face heat up. This was not the first and last time she would be grateful for her subtle blushes. She rubbed the back of her neck, “Of course!” She stood there awkwardly, still clasping Haley’s hand in hers. She was delighted and terrified that she was still holding it. Worried her palms were beginning to sweat, Maru reluctantly withdrew her hand. _This is it Maru, now or never._

“Haley, I wanted to ask you about your plans for the Flower Dance this weekend” Maru looked Haley straight in the eyes as she said this. She noticed Haley quirk an eyebrow. 

“What about my plans, Maru?” Haley said demurely. 

“I know you dance with Alex every year, but if you feel like shaking it up this year, then I’d love to be your partner.” Maru said quickly. 

Haley reached out for Maru’s hand again and smiled, “I would love that.” She squeezed Maru’s hand and bounced happily, “We can practice tomorrow!”

Maru felt her stomach flip, “Uh, sure! I could probably use it…”

Haley grinned, “Perfect.” She released Maru’s hand and continued, “I’m going to head back home and develop the photos I did get so I’ll be better prepared for tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon Maru!” Haley gave a little wave and began walking back toward town. 

Maru waved back eagerly and began her own traipse up the mountain to her house. She grinned smugly, and pulled out her phone to text Penny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing of photography. Hopefully it doesn't show too badly.   
> Low key, really really love the Maru/Haley pairing. I love me a "bitch", which everyone thinks Haley is, but she's just gooey on the inside! In general, I also just like writing Maru. Let me know if you want to see more of their relationship in this fic! I def got some stuff I can write, but I don't want to get too distracted!

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have it! The next chapter will be from Kate's perspective, and then this show will be on the road! Please let me know if I missed any spelling/grammar errors, as I'd like to fix them!


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